Latest news with #JoeyO'Brien
Irish Examiner
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Much changed Shelbourne drop into Europa League after narrow loss to Qarabag
Uefa Champions League second round, second leg QARABAG 1 SHELBOURNE 0 Qarabag win 4-0 on aggregate One life sacrificed for Shelbourne, two lives remaining. Losing in Uefa's supreme competition to a Qarabag side used to mixing it with European royalty for over a decade doesn't heap shame on Shels. That they overcame the opponent they ought to, Linfield, did the heavy lifting in guaranteeing shots at reaching the Conference League group stages. Damien Duff's successor Joey O'Brien said as much after the triumph in Belfast, referencing the €3m riches from passing that threshold. It will be only be after the free hits are extinguished that the overall assessment of Shels' first Champions League involvement for 20 years will be judged. Azeri champions Qarabag effectively killed this tie off at Tolka Park last week, two late goals in the last 10 minutes stretching the task confronting the League of Ireland title holders to insurmountable levels. That was reflected by O'Brien making eight changes to his team, conscious of their league campaign resuming at the weekend away to the in-form team within the league, Sligo Rovers. Shelbourne head coach Joey O'Brien' left, and Qarabag manager Gurban Gurbanov. Pic: Aziz Karimov/Sportsfile The former Ireland defender, in the grand scheme of things, also had to be mindful of next week's Europa first-leg. They're racking up the airmiles again, flying to Croatia to meet Rijeka, who were also knocked out of the Champions League, beaten 3-1 on aggregate (after extra time) against Ludogorets of Bulgaria. One of the newcomers to the Shels side was Wessel Speel, in his case for a full debut. The Dutch goalkeeper only arrived on the eve of the first leg from the American leg due to a hamstring strain incurred by Conor Kearns at Windsor Park but he looked the real deal on his bow, ready to challenge Lorcan Healy while the first-choice recovers from injury. There was nothing he could do about the sole goal on the night, coming on the stroke of half-time through a final touch by a Shels player. Brazilian Kady, so impressive in Dublin, dribbled across the endline before teeing up a cross for Nariman Akhundzade to connect with the ball crossed the line instead via a deflection of John Martin. Speel showed his reflexes in the second half, starting with a penalty save from Kady – after he'd a handball by Kameron Ledwidge. Shels did have their moments, the most regrettable being the opportunity which fell at the feet of Kerr McInroy from point-blank range. Liverpool loanee James Norris created the opening, haring down the left and squaring for the Scot to strike first-time. Sadly, his effort was hit straight at understudy stopper Mateusz Kochalski. Norris then blazed the rebound over the crossbar. There was always the sense that Qarabag could up the tempo and they fully extended the debutant goalkeeper with 20 minutes left. Emmanuel Addai's curler from 20 yards was destined for the far corner until Speel stooped low and turned the attempt around the post for a corner. QARABAG: M Kochalski; M Silva, K Medina (S Mmaee 72), B Mustafazade, E Jafarquliyev (T Bayramov 80); P Bicalho, Kady (O Kashchuk 80), L Andrade, E Addai, A Zoubir (C Kouakou 72); N Akhundzade (M Gurbanli 72). SHELBOURNE: W Speel; L Temple, S Bone, K Ledwidge; D Kelly, M Coyle, E Chapman (A Coote 80), K McInroy (JJ Lunney 62), J Norris (E Caffrey 71); M Odubeko (S Boyd 62), J Martin (H Wood 62). Referee: Andrea Colombo (Italy).
Irish Independent
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Shelbourne bow out of Champions League after own-goal ends faint hopes against Qarabag
But after a sobering end to the first leg removed any suspense from their Champions League tie with Qarabag, Joey O'Brien used the return leg as preparation for the road ahead in more ways than one and yet still managed to escape serious damage. The only goal of the game on a draining evening in Baku was scored by a Shelbourne player. Unfortunately, it was John Martin turning a first-half cross into his own goal, a frustration for the visitors given that they restricted the favourites to a handful of clearcut opportunities. Eight changes to the starting team reflected that O'Brien had one eye on a busy seven days featuring a league game against Sligo Rovers on Saturday and a crucial away tie in the Europa League parachute round next Wednesday against either Rijeka or Ludogorets. Therefore, he rotated options and rested some important legs, a risk against a quality opponent playing in front of an expectant crowd. But Qarabag were content enough with the general situation and while a makeshift Shels side acquitted themselves well, and could have nicked a draw on the night with Kerr McInroy and Daniel Kelly missing second-half chances – an important caveat is that Gurban Gurbanov's experienced outfit never needed to go up another gear either. They also missed a second-half penalty, with Shels debutant Wessel Speel, the Dutchman on loan from Minnesota United, getting down well to save from Kady Borges. It was a poor spot-kick, but Speel was solid overall and has put himself in line for involvement in a crucial few weeks where the Dubliners have two more chances to book a €4m league phase ticket. He will likely be protected by a different defence when it comes to the real money matches. Paddy Barrett and Sean Gannon were given the night off, with Sam Bone coming into the middle of a back three and youngster Lewis Temple trusted on the right. Kameron Ledwidge was retained after a tricky ending to last week's three-goal defeat, with McInroy and Mipo Odubeko the only other starters to be selected again. There wasn't much in the match with Qarabag controlling the ball without necessarily being incisive until their 42nd minute breakthrough, a goal that arose from their first corner. ADVERTISEMENT It was worked short, with the patient Borges drawing in Mark Coyle before nipping away from the Shels skipper and sending in a dangerous cross that Martin turned into his own net as he struggled to get himself out of the way. That was a tough blow to take for Shels with the badly needed interval recharge in sight, but they resumed sprightly enough and created their best chance of the match when James Norris raided down the flank and pulled the ball back for McInroy, who should really have done better on his favoured left foot from ten yards. Qarabag were sparked into life by the let-off as both benches prepared multiple changes and the spot-kick was forced by a moderate spell of pressure with Ledwidge punished for a handball as he raised an arm in an attempt to block a cross. Borges lacked conviction from the spot and Speel did enough to push it away. He had made a better stop just beforehand when a deflection off Bone added difficulty to another shot from outside the area. Opportunities inside the box were in short supply, with the Shels stand-ins performing well without the ball. They lasted the duration as O'Brien swapped his other options around ahead of him, ensuring that none of his key men were active for the full ninety minutes. Kelly could have grabbed an equaliser at the death but fired over the bar when he had more time to pick his spot. It would have been a nice moment for the group, but meaningless in the broader picture. Next Wednesday is what really matters. Qarabag: Kochalski, Silva, Mustafazada, Medina (Mmaee 72), Cafarquilyev (Bayramov 80); Bicalho, Borges (Kashchuk 80); Andrade, Addai, Zoubir (Kouakou 72); Akhundzade (Gurbanli 72) Shelbourne: Speel, Temple, Bone, Ledwidge; Kelly, Coyle, Chapman (Coote 80), Norris (Caffrey 71); McInroy (Lunney 62); Odubeko (Boyd 62), Martin (Wood 62) Ref: A Colombo (Italy)
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Joey O'Brien not giving up hope of Shelbourne staging Baku fightback
Joey O'Brien is eyeing a victory against Qarabag in Baku tomorrow evening, and the Shelbourne manager believes that nothing is impossible when it comes to turning the tie around. Shelbourne lost the Champions League second-round qualifier first leg 3-0 in Tolka Park last week, where two late goals gave the visitors a real cushion to take back for the second leg in their home ground. Now the Reds will look to complete the challenging task of somehow reversing that scoreline, and O'Brien believes that the team will be fighting on two fronts at the Tofiq Ismayilov Stadium. Not only are Shelbourne coming up against a quality outfit like Qarabag, who have been regular participants in UEFA group stage football for the past decade, but the Dublin side will also be battling the elements of a mid-summer's evening in Azerbaijan. At the pre-match press conference, O'Brien was asked whether he believed in football fairytales, when it was put to him that his side would need a miracle to qualify for the next round. "For us, it's about getting the game-plan ready, and then every game we play, we try to win, and that doesn't change tomorrow," he said. "I don't think anything is impossible," added O'Brien, when asked whether Shels could go through. Shelbourne need to win by three just to take the game to extra-time and a potential penalty shoot-out, and O'Brien emphasised that the team would need to take a pragmatic approach to the task at hand, and not go gung ho from the opening exchanges against quality opposition, while factoring the conditions into the equation. And he hopes that his side will have learned from an away game in Zurich last summer, when a first-minute concession made an already difficult task much harder, losing 3-0 on the night. "It's pretty warm, but to be fair, at the stadium, at this stage (kick-off time), it looks like the sun will be gone down. It's still warm in the air, obviously, but the sun won't be out, so that'll be a plus," said O'Brien. "In these conditions, you have to play them. Wanting to attack last week and getting on the front foot at home is what we always want to do. Over here, it's got to be a little bit more pragmatic, obviously, and the conditions don't allow that, to be going after [the game], and pressing like mad for the 90 minutes. "The game plan is to set up to try and win the game, that's the way it's always going to be no matter who we play. "I suppose the key thing last year to take away was the start we had [in Zurich]. At any level, but especially at this level, and that'll be the same tomorrow, you cannot start off it (the pace of the game) a little bit, or make any individual mistakes at the first part of the game, because you just won't get back into it. "You're down in the game, so you can't go out and start chomping at the bit, going off on a mad one early doors, because you get picked off at this level. "Last year we made a critical mistake at the start of the game, that's great learning, and hopefully it doesn't happen tomorrow, because the lads realise from Zürich how damaging that can be and it can turn into a long, long night, if we make that early mistake and the [opposing] team is getting an early goal." Reflecting on last week's performance, and result, O'Brien appeared a touch rueful coming into the second leg with such a steep mountain to climb, and believes that his side should have been better in that Tolka Park encounter. "You watch back the game, you review it, I just thought the first half we just weren't at full throttle, to be honest, and we just let them go, showed them a little bit too much respect at home," said O'Brien. "I think at home, we knew the conditions, we knew the pitch, had the atmosphere, and we were just a little bit passive at times in the first half. "I thought in the second half, we really got on the front foot, attacked it for large periods, and I thought we were the better team, and just didn't find that equaliser. "But again, at this level, you've got to be on guard all the time, and that bit of quality that they showed, I suppose, for the second goal, and the third goal, obviously, it's a bad mistake, you know, so again, just being concentrating for the whole game, it's a massive part of this level." Whatever happens in Baku, O'Brien knows that this is not the end of the road for Shelbourne's 2025 European journey, with a Europa League fixture guaranteed should they exit the Champions League. And there is a sense that O'Brien is emphasising that to his squad, and to use the Qarabag game, whatever the outcome, to learn for whatever comes next down the road this summer "It definitely is a great experience, regardless of what happens, we're going to be away from home over the next couple of weeks, there's massive games to come. "So I suppose travelling away and stuff like that, and getting used to the hotel, and getting used to the pitch, that's what part of this is, the experience of the group."
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Shelbourne not lacking motivation for return Champions League tie against Qarabag
Champions League second qualifying round, second leg, Qarabag (3) v Shelbourne (0), Wednesday, 5pm Irish time, Live on Solid Sport stream Shelbourne manager Joey O'Brien and his ever-evolving squad know that an expected defeat to Qarabag merely changes the course of this European adventure. The true value of overcoming Linfield in the Champions League first-round qualifier earlier this month is that it provides an opportunity to end up in the Uefa Conference League group stages. If the Azerbaijani champions finish the job, Shels will be rerouted to the Europa League and a third-round qualifier against the losers of Rijeka of Croatia and Bulgaria's Ludogorets. If the Europa League standard also proves too much, they drop into a season-defining playoff to reach the Conference League with at least €3 million in Uefa prize money on offer. READ MORE Last season, Shamrock Rovers earned €6.4 million from their European run. Trailing Qarabag 3-0, despite a competitive first leg at Tolka Park, the jet-lagged visitors might forgive themselves for lacking enough motivation to avoid a thumping in Baku. 'Motivation? You are playing Champions League round two, away from home, against a team that has made the group stages for the last 10, 11 years,' said O'Brien. 'This is the level the lads want to play at. This is what you dream of as a kid, coming away and playing in Europe. None of them are hiding.' JJ Lunney echoed his manager despite having to cope with the head-spinning play of Brazilian midfielders Kady Borges and Pedro Bicalho. 'Just the speed of the game,' said Lunney of the first leg. 'How quick your brain thinks, they close you down so fast. In the last five minutes, you think you are having a good game, you take a half-yard touch too big and they take it. There is learning in that. You cannot switch off for one second. But there are massive games to come.' Despite a turbulent period off the pitch, the Shelbourne investors have refused to stand still, signing three young players to multiyear deals in the past week while adding Dutch goalkeeper Wessel Speel on loan to cover for the injured Conor Kearns. Speel could start in Baku, but French defender Milan Mbeng and Ireland under-21 winger Seán Moore are not registered for this round, while Jack Henry-Francis, who arrived from Arsenal, is injured. 'They are three great young players who add quality to the group,' said O'Brien. 'The strength of the squad we already have is one of the reasons I took the job.' That is the closest O'Brien will come to mentioning his former boss, Damien Duff, who resigned on June 22nd before the crowning achievement of guiding Shelbourne into the Champions League after 3½ years of steady progress. This Thursday, RTÉ One broadcasts the first episode of Football Families, a three-part documentary about Shelbourne. Naturally, the previous manager features, which is a stark reminder that the Duff era is behind the Drumcondra club. With St Patrick's Athletic away in the FAI Cup on August 15th and at least four more European nights next month, there is still plenty to look forward to.
RTÉ News
24-07-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Joey O'Brien urges Shelbourne to show no fear in Baku
Shelbourne boss Joey O'Brien took heart from his team having "a right cut off" Qarabag in the second half of Wednesday night's Champions League second-round qualifier, but bemoaned the fact it took 45 minutes for his players to really back themselves at Tolka Park. The champions of Azerbaijan exhibited plenty of class in a 3-0 victory, effectively killing the tie ahead of the return leg in Baku next Wednesday. However, Shels had their moments. Sean Gannon hit the post in the seventh minute, Paddy Barrett clipped the crossbar when it was still only 1-0, while Harry Wood spurned a great opening in an improved second-half showing. There's no shame in losing to such seasoned European campaigners, and Shels do have the safety net of falling into the Europa League third qualifying round regardless, but O'Brien was adamant they'll go to Baku to put up a fight, and prove they've learned some harsh lessons. "I thought second half we were the better team," he said. "We got in their face, we looked stronger and fitter. Again, the lads will learn from it, they see it. "For me, respect on a football pitch is a fear, you know? "You're afraid of the mistake, or you're afraid of the outcome of what might happen. I have no time for that. "I said it to the lads, it's the way I was as a player and a coach and the way I want to be as a manager. "I wanted to make sure in the second half, regardless of the result, that we had a right cut off them and I felt for large periods we done that." Qarabag - still in their pre-season - had some standout performers in Dublin, particularly Emmanuel Addai, Nariman Akhundzade and their captain Abdellah Zoubir, who once played under Pat Fenlon at Hibernian. O'Brien admitted the pace and precision of their play caught out Shels in the first half. "It's quality, you are preparing them," he said. "You've seen the video, you are doing as much as you can, the lads knew what they were playing against. You would have known the style of play. "Until you get on the pitch, you get so familiar against players in the (League of Ireland) week in, week out, you are coming up against these boys, you never see it until they are on the pitch. "The level they operate at is higher than our domestic football. "The touch, the speed. You see that in the first 10, 20 minutes and get a feel for in the game, you realise you can't make that first pass, or second pass and need to go direct and get down the sides of them, that's where we got the benefit of that. "These games, they are so demanding, your fitness level goes up. Your mind, your concentration. It happens because it's the level you are operating at. It's sink or swim time. "We've got to learn from the mistakes because there's another few weeks of this and a huge game coming down the line." A nasty looking injury to Tyreke Wilson was another dark cloud on a disappointing evening for Shelbourne; the full-back was in a lot of pain after landing awkwardly on his ankle when contesting a challenge. He'll be assessed today as Shels return to training to try and cook up a plan to trouble Qarabag on their own patch in what is likely to be 30-degree-plus heat. "It's a great game of football travelling over to a place where it's difficult to play," O'Brien insisted. "They are a super team at home. We knew this was our night to have a right good go. "That's not to say we are going to go over there and roll over. That's not football for me, it's preparing a game plan to go out and attack the game and make an upset again "The second half, I thought we were really good. If you get 1-1, who knows? The atmosphere is up and stuff like that. We didn't. This is the level, that's the standout thing. "It's a huge game (in Baku), another game, Champions League round two, second leg away from home, stuff you dream of as a kid. "I'd love to think (the players) are already thinking about it, and see if they can go over and take learnings from who they were up against and if they were disappointed in their own performance, try and put on a better performance next week."
