LOI In Europe 2021

[pineapple stu]

How does that saying go ... the better team lost.

Thought we edged the first half even though they had couple of chances. We were in control in the second half and there was only gonna be one winner before the sending off. Tie still very much alive, especially with McGinty, Mahon and Kenny hopefully available.
Didn't see either game, but does it seem like you'd still expect both sides to go through, but Rosenborg and Dudelange might be a bit much in the second round?

Dundalk's luck in the draw is still holding at least and you'd hope they'd have too much for a Tallinn side they (and Cork) beat home and away a couple of years ago. (I'm assuming they're through at this stage; not even Longford could throw away that lead...)

[mcgonigle]

So we'll just do all the coefficient work again this year? Feel free to chip in at any time...

[mcgonigle]

Dundalk's luck in the draw is still holding at least and you'd hope they'd have too much for a Tallinn side they (and Cork) beat home and away a couple of years ago. (I'm assuming they're through at this stage; not even Longford could throw away that lead...)

That means nothing. Will be a close tie. Tallinn (currently top of the league) likely stronger than 2 years ago and Dundalk far weaker.

[nr637]

Anyone able to find or access any link for highlights or just the goals of the European games played this week?

UEFA Champions League
Slovan Bratislava 2 Shamrock Rovers 0

UEFA Europa Conference League
Dundalk 4 Newtown 0
FH Hafnarfjordur 1 Sligo Rovers 0
Stjarnan 1 Bohemians 1

[pineapple stu]

That means nothing. Will be a close tie. Tallinn (currently top of the league) likely stronger than 2 years ago and Dundalk far weaker.
Well true I guess. Though the LoI record against Estonian sides is very good - only one defeat in 12 matches (back in 2004). You'd certainly be disappointed if Dundalk went out - Levadia lost to a Faroes side last season, and even 3-1 at home to a Gibraltar side last night isn't a great result - but if it happened, I suppose it wouldn't be the first time Dundalk disappointed this season.

[paul_oshea]

Going on the results last night, the new away goals rule benefits the teams more this round around.

[Longfordian]

Didn't see either game, but does it seem like you'd still expect both sides to go through, but Rosenborg and Dudelange might be a bit much in the second round?

Dundalk's luck in the draw is still holding at least and you'd hope they'd have too much for a Tallinn side they (and Cork) beat home and away a couple of years ago. (I'm assuming they're through at this stage; not even Longford could throw away that lead...)

Vinny was part of that team. You never know.

[dundalkfc10]

Didn't see either game, but does it seem like you'd still expect both sides to go through, but Rosenborg and Dudelange might be a bit much in the second round?

Dundalk's luck in the draw is still holding at least and you'd hope they'd have too much for a Tallinn side they (and Cork) beat home and away a couple of years ago. (I'm assuming they're through at this stage; not even Longford could throw away that lead...)

Dundalk earned there seeding, Nothing lucky about it

[pineapple stu]

They earned their seeding, but they've still gotten lucky in the draws. Newtown - easiest side in the first round pool. Estonia/Gibraltar in the second round - could have been Elfsborg or Dunajska Streda, and probably the Hungarian team would have been a tougher draw than the Estonians too. Last year is well documented too of course.

Nothing wrong with getting lucky in the draw of course, but may as well acknowledge it when it happens.

[Nesta99]

They earned their seeding, but they've still gotten lucky in the draws. Newtown - easiest side in the first round pool. Estonia/Gibraltar in the second round - could have been Elfsborg or Dunajska Streda, and probably the Hungarian team would have been a tougher draw than the Estonians too. Last year is well documented too of course.

Nothing wrong with getting lucky in the draw of course, but may as well acknowledge it when it happens.

True but then the horror draws also need acknowledgment, Rosenborg with no parachute and there was the width of the bar in that in the end, BATE x 2, Hadjuk and Levski, Qarabag and Slovan are no slouches, Larnaca turned out to be a horror draw. Even with those sides most occasions a minimum result was managed, it laid the platform for more regular 'easy draw' subsequently. These things, like refereeing decisions, tend to balance out over time so rest assured we will get Roma or their ilk!

[pineapple stu]

They do - which is why I said Dundalk's luck was holding, as opposed to saying Dundalk were always lucky or some such

[Nesta99]

Ok, but there are no shortage of people who do think its all luck and forget the making of your own luck part - actually I think the club's owners have lost sight of that, the value built in seeding, where it is now, could continue to be built upon and carry some more of that luck in to later rounds more often, keeping the bean counters happier rather than cut and run at what could or should be the peak potential (so far for an Irish club ever) of getting the ever increasing slice of European participation spoils. Anyways, finish this tie off, win in QR2, lucky draw QR3, surge in to the top league top 3, win the cup again and everyone can hop back on the bandwagon in 2022.

[pateen]

Tonight's game on telly/online ?

[Straightstory]

LOI TV showing all the Irish clubs' games in Europe - but it's 'Premium Content', so you'll have to pay a tenner. Or go to Rovers website.

[yurt]

Dundalk seen out the tie with a 1-0 away win.

Or co-efficient badly requires a few wins. Although it makes no material difference and there's some mitigating circumstances (previous years qualifying rounds for lowest leagues) to how it's happened but being ranked 48/55 European leagues is a terrible look.

[DCSIL]

Rovers game on in the usual place.

[Nesta99]

Given themselves a chance! Must be one of the few leagues where old enmities tend to go out the window this time of the year.

[DCSIL]

Not a bad first goal. Game on.

[SkStu]

Well, it must be said that Paul O'Shea is very quiet tonight... he must have been so fearful and worried after last week that he couldn't get out of bed.

[pineapple stu]

Just as well there's no away goals, eh?

[sbgawa]

Tough luck but we will have to duag ourselves down and go again

[paul_oshea]

Played well but thought second half they didn't do much . Lost it in Slovakia but much better. Header near the end could have gone in on another day

[ger121]

Win win there. Points for the aul co-efficient but Rovers don’t get to the next round :-p Very good performance all the same.

[Northsider]

Lovely stuff.

[joey B]

Only watched from just before Rovers second goal but they looked decent ,just didnt trouble the keeper enough.....

[CorribsideSteve]

Well, it must be said that Paul O'Shea is very quiet tonight... he must have been so fearful and worried after last week that he couldn't get out of bed.

He had just cause to be hiding behind his couch, as you seem to indicate. Rovers were unbelievably ordinary last week, and a classic example of every poor Euro defeat by an LOI side we've all seen down the years; sloppy loose play at both ends, and oceans of aimlessly hoofed away long balls, and eventual punishment for all of that.
With that context in mind, fair play to anyone on here, and indeed Rovers fans who felt this tie wasn't over, cause I couldn't see them doing anything tonight, and have been proven well wide of the mark.
Tonight was completely the opposite, and Rovers played with a freedom of knowing away goals didn't count, and all over the field made Slovan look really poor. Scales was immense, having Towell, Burke and Mandriou on at the start threw Slovan off, and all of them played excellently. What a goal from Towell, a cracker, and great memories made. Honestly I think Lopes just falls over awkwardly in the buildup to their goal, but it was unfortunate. The referee was Anthony Buttimer levels of all over the shop, however.
Hopefully this is just the beginning of a succesful Euro run for them, and they can take great confidence forward with them IF they play like they played tonight.

[Dalymountrower]

Missed the game unfortunately.
Good result and from the live ticker on RTE , sound like it could have gone 3-1 at the end.
2 out of two wins is a decent nights work for the league.

[Nesta99]

Just as well there's no away goals, eh?

It it weren't for the change of the backpass rule Joey Malone and Alan O'Neill would have won every game 0-0! Rules change, and id have loved away goals not to count when it suited!!

[sparky12345678]

crazy to think Lincoln Red Imps from Gibraltar will get to the next round, and have their chance to parachute to the Europa League and then the Conference...
Flora Talinn also got lucky.
Fair play to Rovers. You could see the 2-0 had rattled Bratislava and they woke up and strung things together to get their needed goal. Just a pity to come so close. 2 wins for the coefficient tonight. So up to Bohs and Sligo to do their bit. Hoping at least Bohs get through!

[yurt]

Have to say that I really enjoyed that game, Rovers were much improved and will see this as a missed opportunity.

Towell's strike was unbelievable. Fancied Rovers after that especially if it got to extra time but alas a player with the quality of Weiss ended up being the difference.

Its such a shame how different the pathway becomes after winning or losing this 1st round qualifier. If Rovers and get past whoever they draw in the 3rd round qualifier they will all but guarantee themselves seeding in this round next year should they win the league.

Looking forward to the Sligo and Bohs games now, hopefully we can pick up another couple of wins and keep as many teams in Europe for as long as possible.

[placid casual]

Champions league game refereed by a leinster senior league referee. Shambles of a human being. But enough about him.

Great battling performance by Rovers, albeit against a team who in all honesty looked half a€€ed at times.
Great leadership showed by Finner, and its no surprise that once Joey was back on the pitch we just look solid and composed. Towell, Mandriou and O'Neill worked hard in midfield and Gaffney was tireless up front.
Fully deserved victory for the Hoops and with that performance we can look forward to whoever we get in 3rd round of Europa conference. Just a shame it was ruined by officials who had little tor no control of the game.
Great atmosphere and noise by the 1,500 which was appreciated by the players it would seem.

[Charlie Darwin]

Really disappointing to go out on a decision like that after playing so well, but we had chance to force extra time still. If we play like that we shouldn't be afraid of anyone in the Conference League, but still going to be tough. Just a pity we don't have a trip to Switzerland to look forward to.

[yurt]

Really disappointing to go out on a decision like that after playing so well, but we had chance to force extra time still. If we play like that we shouldn't be afraid of anyone in the Conference League, but still going to be tough. Just a pity we don't have a trip to Switzerland to look forward to.

As someone more neutral I don't see the referee not giving the free to Lopes being that egregious of a decision. Maybe I need to see it again but there seemed to be very little contact and Lopes should have delt with it instead of trying to buy a cheap free kick.

[Charlie Darwin]

It was a fairly clear trip. Probably accidental but generally when someone trips you up you end up falling down.

[paul_oshea]

Well, it must be said that Paul O'Shea is very quiet tonight... he must have been so fearful and worried after last week that he couldn't get out of bed.

Just saw this :) When you've watched as many LOI teams in Europe as I have you learn not to get excited too prematurely ; )

[paul_oshea]

There's been a few games now with Rovers and Bradley where they've left it behind them for varying reasons but usually they've let themselves down in one of the legs. They should have enough experience in Europe now to be confident from minute 1 and play their own game.

[Charlie Darwin]

There's been a few games now with Rovers and Bradley where they've left it behind them for varying reasons but usually they've let themselves down in one of the legs. They should have enough experience in Europe now to be confident from minute 1 and play their own game.
The first leg was a bad performance, but I wouldn't go overboard. Slovan are a better side than Rovers, just like they were better than Dundalk a couple of years ago. You have to earn the right to play your own game against these teams - no LOI team is good enough to go out and dictate things.

[Nesta99]

The first leg was a bad performance, but I wouldn't go overboard. Slovan are a better side than Rovers, just like they were better than Dundalk a couple of years ago. You have to earn the right to play your own game against these teams - no current LOI team is good enough to go out and dictate things.

More accurate!

[pineapple stu]

Yeah, it's a good win, even if the aggregate result is a defeat. It's a positive to take into the Conference League tie.

I don't think I really buy this idea of "European experience" - it's just a game. And usually it's against a better side. You often lose games against better sides. It's up there with saying someone's ready for the step-up to international level - what step up?

[nigel-harps1954]

There's been a few games now with Rovers and Bradley where they've left it behind them for varying reasons but usually they've let themselves down in one of the legs. They should have enough experience in Europe now to be confident from minute 1 and play their own game.

They beat Slovan Bratislava 2-1, and only denied progression due to a controversial late goal. That's a Slovan side with almost 300 international caps in their squad and a central midfielder, and goalscorer, just home from the Euros.

I don't think they done too badly, all things considered.

[ontheotherhand]

Ah but this Rovers team has had 4 or 5 European games as a group now against teams with different styles and varying multiples of budgetary superiority. They should be well able to go out and impose themselves against the likes of AC Milan or some chumps like the back to back double Slovakian champions away from home in 36 degree heat. Anything else is poor, poor, poor....

Gutting to lose the tie but the performance yesterday was encouraging for the rest of Europe and more importantly, the league. Having Joey back made a huge difference and Towell looked a lot sharper than he did in the away leg or the Dundalk game. It makes a difference when you have your best team available and match fit. We lost a bit when O'Neill went off but on balance certainly deserved to win the game and maybe deserved extra time if you look at both legs as a whole.

Ref wasn't great in the second half (poor tackles on Burke and O'Neill were ignored but O'Neill could also have gone for a second yellow) and I think Lopes was actually fouled twice for their goal (arm in the back and the trip) but I can see how the ref thought it was more of a tangle. Ironically that's how I think the peno-that-wasn't against Dundalk also panned out. Scales probably pushed and tripped Duffy but from the refs perspective it looked like they both brought each other down and Duffy didn't actually have the ball. If you slow it down Duffy had gotten a beautiful touch in front of Scales to control the ball and direct it away right before his leg brings Scales down on top of him. So we've had some bad and good luck. I'd have traded a peno to Dundalk for a chance to go through in the CL though.

[nr637]

Will Bohemians get 6,000 fans out to watch them take on Stjarnan at the Aviva Stadium tonight?

I hope so!:waving:

[paul_oshea]

The first leg was a bad performance, but I wouldn't go overboard. Slovan are a better side than Rovers, just like they were better than Dundalk a couple of years ago. You have to earn the right to play your own game against these teams - no LOI team is good enough to go out and dictate things.

I didnt say dictate things, but there's a feeling again that they could have got more. And on stus point about European experience, i've read every single year about managers mentioning European experience and getting a feel for the opposition or some other parlance. Being cautious is sensible, but being naive and sloppy isn't playing your own game - or maybe in some instances it is!

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Will Bohemians get 6,000 fans out to watch them take on Stjarnan at the Aviva Stadium tonight?

I hope so!:waving:

Well it sold out pretty quickly

[pineapple stu]

It's still just a game of football though.

OK, so you don't know the opposition as well as Bohs or Sligo or whoever - but they don't know you either. I think the phrase is a cliche for the most part.

I think your post does Slovan a big disservice - it's not reasonable to expect Rovers, a lesser team, to go into a match against Slovan, play their own game from the first minute as you suggest, and be comfortable throughout.

[nr637]

Well it sold out pretty quickly
Did not hear/see that anywhere, but if so, great news for the club and the league promotion. I suppose Sligo have had no problem with their allowance of 400!

[CorribsideSteve]

Irish sides can clearly play at an increased level when they really believe there's a chance to win as Rovers showed the other night, rather than the opposite attitude of "Sure we're only small fry anyway, let's try not to get thrashed".

[placid casual]

I know it's a cliche but the attitude of the European opposition for LOI teams (particularly when they are favourites) when playing teams here has a large part to do with it.
Slovan gave the impression the other night by their performance that they assumed the tie was over before they arrived. Once it went to 2:2 on aggregate they upped their tempo and pinned us back for 10 mins till they scored. Even though they are in pre season they were the better team over 2 legs.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Did not hear/see that anywhere, but if so, great news for the club and the league promotion. I suppose Sligo have had no problem with their allowance of 400!

https://twitter.com/bfcdublin/status/1411333854980345857?s=21

[paul_oshea]

I know it's a cliche but the attitude of the European opposition for LOI teams (particularly when they are favourites) when playing teams here has a large part to do with it.
Slovan gave the impression the other night by their performance that they assumed the tie was over before they arrived. Once it went to 2:2 on aggregate they upped their tempo and pinned us back for 10 mins till they scored. Even though they are in pre season they were the better team over 2 legs.

I think that's fair/accurate but that doesn't mean rovers couldn't have knocked them out. I'd agree with Bradley about extra time , they definitely upped the pace, but they were leggy looking and extra time would have suited rovers but not them.