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The Irish Sun
23-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Shelbourne on the brink of Champions League exit after nightmare spell sees Joey O'Brien's men hammered by Qarabag
SHELBOURNE are heading out of the Champions League after Qarabag showed their class at Tolka Park. Joey O'Brien's side hit the woodwork in either half and were still in the game until they conceded twice in a calamitous four-minute spell near the end. 2 Shelbourne are all but out of the Champions League Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 2 They lost 3-0 to Qarabag at Tolka Park Credit: Ben McShane/Sportsfile The final score was harsh and Shels might wonder what might have been but, after a 3-0 defeat at home, there will not be much patience for chat about ifs, buts and maybes. And, although there is still a second leg to come in Baku, the club's money would be better spent on scouting You can talk about small margins at this level but, at times, they can turn out to be like a cracked windscreen, appearing small at first before quickly turning out to be beyond repair. So, while Shels could have taken the lead here, and goals do of course change games, the likelihood is that Qarabag would still have won such was the difference between the sides. Read More on Shelbourne There was a second half fightback, too, but it lacked the cutting edge which Qarabag showed when it was needed. Whilst the Shels side was drawn from Among their ranks was Frenchman Abdellah Zoubir, once signed on loan for striker Emmanuel Addai. And, in Matheus Silva, Dani Bolt, Kady and Pedo Bicalho, they had more Brazilians in their starting XI than a beauty clinic. Most read in Football It quickly became apparent that the visitors would seek to profit down the left-hand side where there were a couple of early scares for Shels.. Lorcan Healy was making only his seventh appearance for Shels since joining from UCD before the start of last season with Conor Kearns ruled out with a hamstring injury and new signing Wessel Speel on the bench. RTE pundit's one-liner about Damien Duff makes Joey O'Brien laugh after Shelbourne's win vs Linfield And he must have soon realised that he was going to be kept busier than in any of his previous outings,even if Shels could have taken the lead from a set-piece. Harry Wood's corner went deep to Coote who swung the ball back in. Tyreke Wilson's header was blocked and the ball came to Gannon but his effort hit the post and was then cleared off the line by Nariman Akhundzade. If that opportunity provided a small glimmer of hope it was quickly extinguished as the Azeris quickly reasserted their dominance with Akhundzade proving he had a lot more strings to his bow than just last-gasp defending. He got the better of Barrett down the left and fired across goal. Healy saved with Zoubir skying his follow-up effort over the bar. But the goal came in the 13th minute with Andrade both starting and finishing the move. First, he switched the ball from right to left where it was picked up by Zoubir. He waited until Bayramov made a run and then slipped through a perfectly-weighted pass inside Evan Caffrey which took him out of the game. Bayramov drilled the ball across goal where Silva had popped up to finish from point-blank range. BLOW AFTER BLOW There was a further blow soon after when WIlson was forced soon afterwards when he slipped as he was tackled which resulted in an innocuous-looking challenge leaving him unable to walk, leaving the ground in a wheelchair. James Norris came on in his place and he found himself on a mission where the main objective was not to find themselves further behind at the break. They managed it, just about, with Healy making two saves to deny Akhundzade as well as thwarting Bayramov. The closest Shels came to a chance to equalise was when Buntic spilled a Barrett flick-on but he gathered before Mipo Odubeko could capitalise. But the second half was a different affair. Wood was pushed further forward alongside Odubeko and the tactical adjustment came close to reaping dividends with the Englishman having two good chances. First, he was beaten to Kameron Ledwidge's drilled ball across goal and, then, could not quite connect with a wonderful whipped cross from Kerr McInroy. Coote, then, had an effort deflected behind for a corner. And, on 70 minutes, after Qarabag had failed to adequately clear a Wood free-kick, Barrett struck the bar with what looked like more of a cross than a shot. With Sean Boyd and John Martin thrown on, it was set up for a grandstand finish before disaster struck as Shels conceded twice in four minutes. First, Kady slipped the ball between Coyle and Barrett for Akhundzade to sprint onto. His chip over Healy hit the post but substitute Oleksiy Kaschchuk tapped home the rebound. Then, Ledwidge and Healy got their wires crossed with the defender's header sailing over the keeper with Akhundzade helping the ball over the line. SUN STAR MAN Nariman Akhundzade (Qarabag) SHELBOURNE : Healy 6; Gannon 5 (Coyle 46, 5), Barrett 6, Ledwidge 5; Caffrey 6 (O'Sullivan 66, 5), Lunney 6, McInroy 7, Wilson 6 (Norris 18, 6); Wood 6, Coote 7 (Martin 66, 5); Odubeko 7 (Boyd 77, 4). QARABAG : Buntic 6; Bolt 6 (Huseynov 77, 5 )Mustafazde 7, Silva 7, Bayramow 7; Bicalho 6, Kady 7; Andrade 8 (Kashchuk 77, 7), Addai 6, Zoubir 8 (Jafarguliyev 77, 5); Akhundzade 8 (Gurbani 81, 5). REFEREE : A Culina (Croatia) 7
RTÉ News
23-07-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Qarabag show class to ruthlessly punish Shels at Tolka
Qarabag rolled into Tolka Park and left with a professional, and impressive, 3-0 victory to leave Shelbourne with an enormous mountain to climb in the Champions League second-round qualifiers. Reds fans were hoping to summon the spirit of '04 when they famously turned over Hadjuk Split at this stage of the competition. Dave Rogers, scorer of a memorable goal that night, was on punditry duty for Premier Sports here, but the standout performer in the decisive opening period was a man with a more tenuous link to that occasion. In 2013, seven years after he guided Shels to the brink of the Champions League group stages, Pat Fenlon brought Abdellah Zoubir to Hibernian on loan from French side Istres. Here, the now 33-year-old showed why Fenlon had such faith in his ability. He ran the first half, helping to set up Leandro Andrade's 13th-minute tap-in. Shels twice hit the woodwork - Sean Gannon going incredibly close early on, Paddy Barrett hitting the bar in the second half - and were better on the turnaround. But late goals from Oleksii Kashchuk and Nariman Akhundzade deflated the atmosphere as Qarabag efficiently exposed a gulf in class. Qarabag, still in pre-season, tuned up for their trip to Dublin with friendlies against FC Twente and RB Salzburg at the picturesque 500-capacity Alois Latini Stadion in Austria. Quality opposition no doubt, but not quite the surrounds to prepare you for a partisan Tolka Park. Still, the Azerbaijan champions have far too much high-level European experience to be easily shaken, and they took this contest by the scruff of the neck pretty much from the off. Zoubir oozed class on the left, twisting the guts of Sean Gannon early doors before fizzing a low strike inches past the left-hand post. Things looked ominous in an opening bossed by the visitors, and yet Shels will still be wondering how they didn't break the deadlock in the seventh minute. A deep corner fell to Ali Coote who drove in a cross that Kameron Ledwidge connected with. His header ricocheted into the path of Gannon, and his bobbly strike kissed the inside of the post before Akhundzade booted it off the line. Gasps of frustration around Tolka; gasps that soon turned into groans. Four minutes later, Zoubir slipped a cute pass into the stride of the overlapping Tural Bayramov down the left side of Shels' box and his low cross was knocked home by Andrade. A bad start got worse just before the 20-minute mark when Tyreke Wilson slipped awkwardly, yelping in pain as he hit the turf. Wilson was carried off, later going down the tunnel with his left leg in a brace. It didn't look good. James Norris entered the fray but the tide of Qarabag attacks continued to flow. Akhundzade drew a sharp save from Healy with an angled drive; from the resulting corner, Zoubir clipped in a cross that Akhundzade opportunistically volleyed onto the crossbar. Soon after, Zoubir again found Akhundzade, who this time thumped in a shot that Healy batted away. Shels tirelessly tried to plug the gaps their fluid, technically excellent opponents routinely opened up. After Bayramov's fierce left-footer whistled just wide, Shels headed for the dressing-rooms to reset. On came Mark Coyle for Gannon – who was on a booking – but it was Qarabag who stayed on the front foot, Emanuel Addai drawing a full-stretch save from Healy with a firm header. After that, momentum changed. Shels were more direct, more aggressive – and they started to get some joy. A plasingly simple passge of play led to their best chance: Caffrey's diagonal to Norris, Norris' cushioned volley to Kerr McInroy; McInroy's first-time looped cross towards Wood. Qarabag were exposed, but Wood rushed his effort, fresh-airing an attempted volley. It was, however, a genuine moment of encouragement for the reigning League of Ireland champions. Coote then picked his way through the heart of the Qarabag defence, playing a one-two with Wood and seeing his deflected left-footer dip just over the bar. Coyle left a bit on Zoubir in the 68th minute, moments before Norris and Dani Bolt both steamed into a 50-50. Bolt came off the worse for it, but Shels won the free-kick, which almost led to a leveller when Barrett bent in a cross-come-shot that smacked off the upright. Shels huffed and puffed. Qarabag kept them at arm's length. Nine minutes from time, the killer blow. Kady slipped a lovely through ball for Bolt to chase. He lifted a little chip over the onrushing Healy, with his effort bouncing off the post only for Kashchuk - who'd only come off the bench a couple of minutes earlier - to knock home. It got worse in the 85th minute when Ledwidge misjudged a header back to Healy, the ball sailing over the keeper's head and allowing Akhundzade to gleefully finish off. That was harsh on Shelbourne, but they at least have the cosiderable safety net of the Europa League football qualifiers to drop down to should they fail to ull off a miracle in Baku next week. Shelbourne: Lorcan Healy; Sean Gannon (Mark Coyle HT), Paddy Barrett (capt), Kameron Ledwidge, Tyreke Wilson (James Norris 18); Kerr McInroy, JJ Lunney, Harry Wood; Alistair Coote (John Martin 66), Ademipo Odubeko (Sean Boyd 77), Evan Caffrey (John O'Sullivan 66) Qarabag: Fabijan Buntic; Dani Bolt, Bahlul Mustafazade, Matheus Silva, Tural Bayramov; Pedro Bicahlo, Kady, Emmanuel Addai; Leandro Andrade (Olexiy Kashchuk 77), Nariman Akhundzade (22 87, Abdellah Zoubir (capt, Elvin Jafarguliyev 87))
Irish Daily Mirror
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Shelbourne see Champions League hopes dashed after late Qarabag double
Shelbourne 0-3 Qarabag There is little in football that can deliver a gut-punch like the blow delivered to Shelbourne in the closing stages of their Champions League clash with Qarabag on Wednesday night. In the ascendancy and chasing an equaliser against their experienced opponents, the Azeris delivered a one-two that ended the League of Ireland side's hopes of progressing in Europe's top-tier competition. As things stood, with nine minutes remaining, there was still some drama to be played out next week in Azerbaijan. The Reds would have taken heart from their reaction to Leandro Andrade's early opener, in how they tightened up defensively and created openings of their own. Then their second-half performance had their opponents on the back-foot, as their aggressive attacking play clearly had them rattled. Tolka Park was bouncing and the visitors' clear discomfort led to them doing what they could to disrupt Shelbourne's momentum and run down the clock, including lengthy stoppages with players hitting the turf and seeking the comfort of the physio's sponge. And then the first blow to silence the Riverside and all but end Shels' interest in the Champions League - a goal against the run of play. Four minutes later, a messy third for Qarabag and the tie was done. Joey O'Brien's men were always going to be up against it, taking on a team packed with European experience and with a handful of internationals. But with a drop into the Europa League now on the horizon, barring the most incredible of turnarounds, where they will take on the losers of Croatian side HNK Rijeka of Croatia and Ludogorets from Bulgaria, they will be all the better for this experience. The game kicked off at a frantic pace, with a noisy home crowd getting right behind their team. Possibly too frantic for O'Brien's liking, as his side was open defensively and vulnerable. And 12 minutes in, they were behind to Andrade's opener. The Cape Verde international ended up benefitting from a poor ball, which should have teed up teammate Abdellah Zoubir, by grabbing the glory himself. He accelerated onto a heavy Kameron Ledwidge touch and raced down the right, spotted Zoubir unmarked in the centre but overhit his pass inside. Zoubir chased the ball out to the left, held it up for the overlapping run of Tural Bayramov, and found him with a delightful pass inside Evan Caffrey. Bayramov looked up, spotted Andrade and slid the ball to the 25-year-old, who tapped it home from three yards. The initial pass aside, the goal highlighted the blistering pace, movement and precision that has seen the Azerbaijani champions play group stage football in each of the last 11 seasons. Shels did their best to play on the front-foot and disrupt their opponents' fluid attacking play, and they should have had the lead goal prior to Andrade's strike. But while the woodwork denied Sean Gannon a first ever European goal, a cleaner strike by the defender would have put the Reds in front. Harry Woods' corner drifted all the way to Ali Coote at the back post, he turned it back inside and Tyreke Wilson's flying header rebounded off a defender to Gannon. He swung at the ball on the six-yard line, but his left-foot connection wasn't clean and the ball spun onto the post, and Wilson sent the rebound over. In truth, that was a rare first-half opening for Shels, while Qarabag had chances through Kady, one of four Brazilians in their starting-11, skipper Zoubir, and Nariman Akhundzade, who rattled the crossbar. It was a different story in the second-half, which started with three promising Shelbourne attacks in quick succession. The first had Wood and Mipo Odubeko stretching in vain to connect with a low James Norris centre. Moments later, Woods was unmarked at the back post as Kerr McInroy hooked the ball across, but he got his calculations wrong and hit nothing but fresh air. Chance number three saw Coote's promising 20-yard shot take a wicked deflection, sending the ball just wide of the target. Goalkeeper Lorcan Healy, who did well to claw away an Emmanuel Addai header, was sharp again on 67 minutes to get down to his left and keep out an Andrade shot on the turn. Shels continued to press and defender Paddy Barrett was surely attempting a cross when his delivery curled onto the crossbar. But then despair for the hosts in the 81st minute, as Andrade race behind defence, clipped his shot over Healy and onto the post, and sub Olexiy Kashchuk dispatched the rebound. Their misery was compounded four minutes later when Ledwidge and Healy were on different wavelengths; the defender headed the ball over his keeper and Akhundzade poked the ball home from a yard out. Teams and Player Ratings SHELBOURNE Lorcan Healy 7 Sean Gannon 6 Kameron Ledwidge 6 Paddy Barrett 7 Evan Caffrey 6 JJ Lunney 7 Kerr McInroy 6 Tyreke Wilson 6 Ali Coote 6 Harry Wood 7 Mipo Odubeko 6 SUBS: James Norris (for Wilson 18) 7 Mark Coyle (for Gannon 46) 6 John Martin (for Coote 66) 6 John O'Sullivan (for Caffrey 66) 6 Sean Boyd (for Odubeko 77) QARABAG Fabijan Buntic 6 Dani Bolt 6 Behlul Mustafazade 6 Matheus Silva 6 Toral Bayramov 6 Pedro Bicalho Kady 6 Emmanuel Addai 6 Leandro Andrade 6 Abdellah Zoubir 6 Nariman Akhundzade 6 SUBS: Abbas Huseynov (for Bolt 76) Olexiy Kashchuk (for Andrade 77) Musa Gurbanli (for Akhundzade 87) Elvin Jafarguliyev (for Zoubir 87) REFEREE: Ante Culiina (Croatia)
