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SOCCER/Uefa Cup second qualifying round, second leg/Cork City 0 Djurgardens IT 0: It turns out Damien Richardson wasn't playing pre-match mind-games when he promised his team would stick to the regular game plan. It was in stark contrast to the approach Shelbourne have taken against European visitors in the previous two years and the result sees Cork City become the first Irish team to progress to a third round of the Uefa Cup. Gavin Cummiskey at Turner's Cross
They go into the real draw this morning with Everton, Bolton Wanderers and Middlesbrough (live on Eurosport, noon).
Richardson was also right in predicting end-to-end football so if it ever goes belly up for him in the city of culture, which seems unlikely, TV punditry will welcome him back with open arms.
For long periods last night City just went out and played. It also helped that everyone decided to turn up. No stage fright here. And as half-time neared the only regret was that one of the several chances had not been taken. It mattered little, though, as - given the aggregate score - a goal would have hardly affected the visitors' approach.
The opening 45 minutes went to plan. Danny Murphy staked an early claim for man of the match with some neat football at left back, which in turn allowed Liam Kearney do his thing farther up the line. Only problem here was on the occasions the talented winger did turn his man, there was no target to aim at in a box full of skyscraping Swedes. In particular, the gargantuan Gambian international goalkeeper Pa Dembo Tourray pulled down everything that arrived in high.
From one such catch, Tourray flung a 60-yard ball to the feet of centre forward Jones Kusi-Asare, who fed Tobias Hysen, only for the midfielder to fizz the shot wide.
Although Mattias Jonson eventually started getting in behind Murphy, pinning Cork back at times, they handled everything with a no-nonsense attitude - the main men in this regard captain Dan Murray and George O'Callaghan.
The Djurgardens corners provided some humour to the proceedings as the attackers ignored their height advantage to all stand on the line as if waiting for a bus. In short, the bizarre tactic failed miserably and led to a free out every time.
Neale Fenn spurned Cork's first real chance when he headed across the goal after more decent build-up by Murphy and Kearney. Then Fenn twice supplied John O'Flynn, but neither effort ever really looked like breaking the deadlock.
Jonson showed a hint of frustration when he was cautioned for chopping Kearney down.
The returning O'Callaghan realised a cross was pointless and instead curled in a low shot, which caused Tourray to reveal the weakness in his repertoire with a jittery save.
It was around this time that Wednesday's stop-off at the K Club and the leisurely stroll around Kinsale may have looked liked a poor decision by Djurgardens manager Kjell Jonevret. Regardless, he showed his ruthless streak as Kusi-Asare failed to re-emerge after the break.
It wasn't exactly going perfectly for Richardson either as centre back Alan Bennett was forced off, after a collision. It meant Roy O'Donovan came into midfield, with Greg O'Halloran slotting back to defence.
Cork were then exposed in the next attack, but a weak header from Hysen was easily dealt with by Michael Devine.
And still, Cork held their shape. At one stage, as Jonevret vented his frustration with the linesman, Richardson could be seen half raising his hands in the air. The packed St Anne's end of Turner's Cross reacted accordingly.
They even began to lift the siege, one O'Donovan cross landing on the head of Kearney, one of his few weaknesses, but the young winger continued to destroy whoever attempted to shackle his progress down the left.
With 15 minutes remaining he was again pulled down while cutting inside and from the resulting free Fenn forced another quality save from Tourray.
Murphy had no intention of fading out of this contest either. It was his crucial, last-ditch clearance that denied a certain goal from a Daniel Sjolund centre.
Then, seconds later, Sjolund missed as good a chance as he will ever get in front of goal.
The prayers began for the full-time whistle.
It took four additional minutes, but bliss eventually arrived for the 5,700 fans.
CORK CITY: Devine; Hogan, Bennett, Murray, Murphy; Gamble, O'Callaghan, O'Halloran, Kearney; Fenn, O'Flynn. Subs: O'Donovan for Bennett (55 mins), Coughlan for Flynn (90 mins).
DJURGARDENS IF: Tourray; Concha, Kuivasto, Johannesson, Stenman; Arneng, Hysen, Rasck; Jonson, Kusi-Asare, Sjolund. Subs: Barsom for Kusi-Asare (half-time), Arnason for Rasck (59 mins), Amoah for Sjolund (90 mins).
