6 days ago
Conference League qualifiers: St Pat's take on Besiktas in Istanbul as Shamrock Rovers face Ballkani in Tallaght
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Shamrock Rovers face Ballkani in tonight's Uefa Conference League third qualifying round second leg, aiming to overturn a 1-0 deficit at Tallaght Stadium.
Before that, St Patrick's Athletic take on the might of Turkish side Besiktas in Istanbul, trailing 4-1 from the first leg.
St Pat's v Besiktas kicks off at 7pm Irish time, while Rovers begin their quest to beat the Kosovans at 8pm and you can catch all the action here.
5 minutes ago
Besiktas 0 - Athletic 1 (3 mins)
GOAL! Is the comeback on? Athletic lead on the night at noisy Tupras Stadyumu. Conor Carty sends Mert Gunok the wrong way from the penalty spot. Sensational start for the Inchicore club. Besiktas still lead 4-2 on aggregate.
7 minutes ago
Besiktas 0 - Athletic 0 (2 mins)
PENALTY! Not even 90 seconds gone and the Portuguese official has already consulted VAR to award a penalty. Al-Amin Kazeem's cross struck the hand of Gabriel Paulista.
9 minutes ago
Besiktas 0 - Athletic 0 (1 mins)
The ball is rolling and we are underway in Istanbul! The referee for this evening's match is Antonio Nobre who forms a Portuguese trio with his assistant referees Pedro Ribeiro and Nelson Pereira.
It may be 9pm local time in Türkiye, but that hasn't altered the temperature one bit – A strong breeze from the north provides some respite in the 24-degree heat. A stark contrast to conditions at Tallaght last week.
11 minutes ago
HERE'S HOW THE SAINTS LINE UP:
The tie may be over as a contest but that won't stop from giving the Turkish giants another crack this evening. Stephen Kenny has made six wholesale changes from his side that shipped a 4-1 first-leg defeat last Thursday.
Joseph Anang stays between the posts, while Ryan McLaughlin and captain Joe Redmond remains in defence alongside Axel Sjoberg and Luke Turner. An entirely different midfield sees Darren Robinson, Barry Baggley and Al-Amin Kazeem line out behind Jake Mulraney, Kian Leavy and the incoming Conor Carty in a rather unusual 4-3-3 according to Uefa:
St Patrick's Athletic FC on Twitter / X
Our Saints in Istanbul ❤️#StPatsFC 🔴⚪️ St Patrick's Athletic FC (@stpatsfc) August 14, 2025
14 minutes ago
BESKITAS TEAM NEWS:
Once again, there's no shortage of talent at Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's disposal as Besiktas roll into town with Mert Gunok getting the nod in goals. Meanwwhile, their defence remains unchanged with ex-Arsenal centre-half Gabriel Paulista joined by Svensson, Topcu and Jurase.
Orkun Kokcu slots into the double pivot with Demir behind Portuguese international Rafa Silva, while Milot Rashica and Keny Arroyo bring pace to the flanks. Up top, ex-Chelsea marksman Tammy Abraham will be hunting another hattrick against the Inchicore side:
Beşiktaş JK on Twitter / X
BEŞİKTAŞ XI 🦅⬛⬜ @HondaTR Beşiktaş JK (@Besiktas) August 14, 2025
17 minutes ago
Stephen Bradley has declined to elaborate on a row with Jack Byrne that is the reason for the Ireland international's absence from the Rovers squad for their Conference League tie with Ballkani:
Stephen Bradley tight-lipped on Jack Byrne row ahead of Shamrock Rovers' Euro showdown
Stephen Bradley has declined to elaborate on a row with Jack Byrne that is the reason for the Ireland international's absence from the Rovers squad for their Conference League tie with Ballkani.
21 minutes ago
Ballkani boss Orges Shehi feels tomorrow's Conference League tie against Shamrock Rovers remains '50-50' despite his side holding a one-goal lead ahead of the second-leg:
'The game is open' – Ballkani boss insists Conference League tie with Shamrock Rovers remains in the balance
Ballkani boss Orges Shehi feels tomorrow's Conference League tie against Shamrock Rovers remains '50-50' despite his side holding a one-goal lead ahead of the second-leg.
23 minutes ago
Hoops boss Stephen Bradley is hoping Graham Burke holds the key to unlocking the Ballkani defence tonight:
'He loves the big stage' – Stephen Bradley looks to Graham Burke to inspire Rovers' Conference League turnaround
A row with Jack Byrne has taken one Shamrock Rovers playmaker out of the equation, but the return of another provided more comfortable subject matter for Stephen Bradley ahead of a big European night in Tallaght.
26 minutes ago
Not settling for the 4-1 aggregate score after the first-leg, Besiktas gaffer Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants his team to kick on and put down a marker in the second-leg against their Inchicore opponents:
'We want to show our fans how we've improved' – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer issues warning to Pat's in Istanbul
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has ominously warned St Patrick's Athletic that his Besiktas side have no plans to ease off in their Conference League third round second leg tie in Istanbul on Thursday night even though the tie is over.
33 minutes ago
With pride to play for, midfielder Barry Baggley is hoping to take the fight to Besiktas this evening - Aidan Fitzmaurice reports:
39 minutes ago
Good evening and welcome to another Irish Independent live blog as Athletic travel to Besiktas, while Shamrock Rovers host Ballkani in the second-leg of their UEFA Conference League third qualifying round ties. My name is Ultán Corcoran, and I will be keeping you updated as the action unfolds on the pitch.
The 42,500-seater Tupras Stadyumu is the venue for our first game this evening as make the trip to the home of their Turkish opponents. The game is not being televised free to air. Kick-off is set for 7pm.
As for the Hoops, they welcome Ballkani to Tallaght Stadium for tonight's clash with a strong home crowd expected to turn up. The game is also not being televised but can be watched online with a once-off €10 payment on LOITV who are streaming the action. Kick-off is scheduled for 8pm.
St Patrick's Athletic FC on Twitter / X
We're counting down to kick-off against Beşiktaş & our Jamie Moore has been setting scene in Istanbul 🤳 St Patrick's Athletic FC (@stpatsfc) August 14, 2025
