Was at the UCD game. I must say it was a very enjoyable game. UCD played very well. Were never shaky at the back bar one or two moments and cleared their lines well. Their keeper made a top save second half and a wonderstrike hit the bar too, so it could have been 2 or 3.
Also a mention to the few UCD fans who were chanting. Some very good ones. My favourite was in response to a Dudelange player receiving a yellow for diving: "Same old Dudelagne, always cheating!"
You've got no fans.
"We love you fair play, we do!"
7 away fans in the end. And fair dues to them for making the trip. Maybe 30 going to Luxembourg, which may well be a record!
Didn't see it myself but Mark O'Sullivan and Billy Dennehy squared up at the end of the game (after Billy made a balls of a late set-piece) squared off, some pushing and shoving, before Darren came in and stuck up for his bro and there was supposedly depending on what you hear punches thrown on the pitch at that stage before broken up.
It was the first tackle I've seen either Dennehy make this season.
Not nice to see but we had a lot of possession in the second half and it was a very frustrating evening all round - hopefully an isolated incident which will cost them all a few bob no doubt.
Thanks to the other League of Ireland fans for turning up to lend their support. It's a strange one, a win in Europe but it should have been more. Dudelange really faded in the last thirty minutes and were there for the taking. They felt Premier Division in quality but lacked sharpness. It would be a shame not to go through after such a great start. It'll be a nervy next Thursday.Originally Posted by MeathDrog
I think they have a great shout. Nick a goal and I don't think they have the quality to score three.
You've got no fans.
They certainly lacked a cutting edge but whether that's down to lack of guile or lack of sharpness it remains to be seen. To me Benson was the classiest player on the pitch for either side and getting him on the ball is our best chance of nicking something.
Yeah, that's how I see it.
Our defence has almost inherited the knowledge of legions of UCD defenders who've gone beforehand and were entirely comfortable throughout in the air.
Also, though it's 36 degrees in Dudelange tomorrow, the heatwave is to break, and it's forecast to be 18 next Thursday. Handy for us.
Plus, we've now scouted them, so we're even. Before tonight, they'd scouted us, but I don't think we'd seen them - no chance to really.
And we know we can play them now. There's not much to fear, even with 250-odd international caps between them.
Lots of positives, though we may well be outsiders still.
Is this the first ever win by a FD side in Europe?
#DundalkFC - First Irish club to win an away game in Europe (1963), only Irish club to win a game / points in Europa League Group Stage (2016).
LoI First Division? Must be. Did Bray play once after winning the Cup but being relegated? I don't think any other LoI First Division team has played in Europe? Fingal won the Cup as a First Division side, but also got promoted, so were a Premier Division side when playing in Europe (and lost home and away anyway)
In overall terms, Tromso of the Norwegian second flight won 12-1 or something last year - against an Estonian third division team.
Also, Go Ahead Eagles drew 1-1 with Fenerbache tonight. Zoltan Gera scored for Fenerbache. Probably a better result than ours in fairness!
Dundalk did.2002 v Varteks? Dundalk won the cup that year but got relegated.
Varteks beat us 9-0 on agg,home leg was played in Tolka(just checked it)
Last edited by Dunny; 02/07/2015 at 11:58 PM.
Cumann Peile Dún Dealgan - Champions 2015 (too many accolades to be typing)
Termonbarry Athletic TID!
We'd take him back. Most fans didn't want him to go. Some scrotes tried to boo him the first time he came back with Cork and were firmly told to knock it off.
Which only goes to show how heavily they've bought into Cork's strict no fouls policy.
They looked like they lacked sharpness but they also looked like they could have gone all night and not scored a goal. With less than an hour gone I was thinking to myself the only way they'll get on the scoresheet is if someone scores an own goal.
Collie said on the radio the other day they'd gotten some DVDs of their last games from last season, but I don't know how much their squad has changed since.
By a LOI 1st Division team, yeah.
Bray drew 1st leg v Trabzonspor in 1990 but lost 2nd leg
Bray lost twice to Grasshoppers in 1999
Dundalk lost twice to Varteks in 2002
UCD were 4th club to qualify
Video of that here
https://www.facebook.com/79485577059...4000691678177/
Athlone Town AFC 1887-2017
Stats for Nerds
Some "Stats for Nerds" after this weeks games: [*Cork City includes data from its previous incarnation]
Cork City
Cork City v KR [ISL] was the 500th match involving a LOI Side.
Thursday's 1-1 draw was the 30th 1-1 draw at HOME for a LOI side, the most common scoreline at HOME for all LOI sides.
In knockout format, when playing first leg at HOME, Cork City have qualified on 2 occasions (Malmö [SWE] [2004], Apollon Limassol [CYP] [2006]) and been eliminated 6 times.
Cork City's previous trip to Iceland resulted in a 2-0 victory against Valur [ISL] in 2007, which proved enough to qualify as they lost 1-0 in Turner's Cross in the second leg.
Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers have now drawn 5 games AWAY, 4 of which have been 0-0.
By failing to score, Shamrock Rovers become the first LOI side not to score in Luxembourg.
This was Shamrock Rovers 12th clean sheet in Europe which now puts them 2nd among LOI sides, they now trail Bohemians. (16 clean sheets)
In knockout format, when playing first leg AWAY, Shamrock Rovers have qualified on 3 occasions (Fram [ISL] [1982], Linfield [NIR] [1984], Odra Wodzisław [POL] [2003]) and been eliminated 9 times.
Since returning to European football in 2010, Shamrock Rovers have only won 3 games from 19, scoring 11 and conceding 30. Their only victory at Tallaght Stadium was a 1-0 win against Flora [EST].
The last occasion on which Shamrock Rovers scored 2 goals in a 90 minute match in Europe was in 2003 against Odra Wodzisław [POL].
St. Patrick's Athletic
St. Pat's defeat ended a run of 5 consecutive matches unbeaten to Latvian opposition, last defeat was in 2008 when Riga [LVA] beat Bohemians 1-0.
On the previous occasions that Latvian teams won either first or second leg against LOI sides, they qualified.
In knockout format, when playing first leg AWAY, St. Pat's have qualified on 6 occasions (Rijeka [HRV] 2002, Olimps [LVA] 2008, Elfsborg [SWE] 2008, IBV [ISL] 2011, Shakhter Karagandy [KAZ] 2011, Široki Brijeg [BIH] 2012) and been eliminated 10 times.
St. Pat's last victory in Europe was against Široki Brijeg [BIH] in 2012, they have now gone 7 games without a win in Europe, which is their second worst run, current record is 11 games between 1960 and 2002.
UCD
UCD produced their very first victory in European competition and also became the first ever 2nd Tier LOI side to win a match in Europe.
They now remain unbeaten at HOME in Europe (3 Games).
Currently the only LOI side that concedes on average less than a goal a game in Europe. (0.80; 4 goals in 5 games; 3 clean sheets)
Like its other games in Europe, they played the HOME leg first. (0-0 v Everton [ENG], 3-3 v Velbazhd [BUL])
Also, UCD become the first LOI side to stop a team from Luxembourg scoring in Ireland, as in the previous 3 games they scored 1 goal in each.
Other
LOI sides have now conceded 999 goals from 501 matches in European competitions, at a rate of 1.99 goals conceded per game.
Since the Europa League began in 2009, LOI sides have scored 38 goals at HOME and 38 goals AWAY.
Random other fact - in each of our three European campaigns, we've been drawn against a side from the then or former Czechoslovakia in round 2 (in 1984 I don't think the draw was made before round 1, but in the other two, it had been made). Inter Bratislava in 1984, Sigma Olomouc in 2000 and Slovan Bratislava this time.
In the two previous campaigns, we've hit the woodwork late on in the second leg, which was the difference between qualifying or not in the end.
That was it for me. The UCD players seemed a lot bigger, yet Differdange kept pinging balls into the box with very little hope of anyone actually getting on the end of them. It took until about 60/70 minutes in for them to start being a bit more clever with the corners. When they worked the ball on the ground they looked alright. Good defensive display from UCD overall though.
That was my first trip down to the Bowl. Great to see them come away with a win.
Very frustrating night. We started reasonably well but KR gradually started to get control of the game, then we scored almost out of nothing and KR were shell-shocked. It took them a while to deal with the fact that we'd scored but then they got their goal and for the next 5 minutes or so we were under the cosh. They had 3 or 4 chances that just flashed wide
Second half they started bright but didn't do much with it, and then we made some changes, Sully on for Flynny and bizarrely Dan for Colin Healy, needless to say this shocked everyone, even those of us who have seen him play there before away to Bray and Derry. Sully was bulling for a fight almost right away and he got in a few elbows and that when going for headers. Dan was outstanding. He was breaking up play, winning interceptions, and getting attacks started.
Then he went up for a corner, there was somewhat of a scramble and he got his head to it, not a great connection but it looped towards the keeper who made the catch but was struggling for balance. I've seen this a thousand times and as he fell I just assumed he was gonna be able to keep it out of the net, but slowly he fell towards the net and brought the ball with him, we heard the whistle and started to go mad before we realsied the ref was pointing for a free. I have no idea if this was warranted or not, a friend of mine suggested that hed fallen over his own defender.
Not long later a ball comes into the box from the right hand side, and a KR defender blatantly shoves Sully into his back with no regard for the ball. I've seen photographic evidence taken from behind that goal, theres no way it was anything but a penalty.
Overall I'd say we left it behind us, and they will take us in Iceland. But we're still in the tie. KR are a serious team, they are as strong and physical as us but they have two or three really good footballers. Schoop (20) and another player 22 who scored really stood out.
Just to clarify, I of course meant a LOI FD side. Knew it had to be a first. I was at tolka in 2002 to watch a terrible Dundalk side complete an aggregate hammering against Vartecks. It was hard to believe we won the FAI Cup 4 months earlier in the same ground.
Massive well done again to UCD last night.
#DundalkFC - First Irish club to win an away game in Europe (1963), only Irish club to win a game / points in Europa League Group Stage (2016).
Sounded like you had a right go, with a disappointing result, how would you rate this outfit compared to a side in our league EP? Would they be top 4, or was it more you just couldn't break them down?
Last edited by oriel; 03/07/2015 at 9:07 AM.
#DundalkFC - First Irish club to win an away game in Europe (1963), only Irish club to win a game / points in Europa League Group Stage (2016).
Truly a great result fro UCD. When you consider they're a first division side and the Luxembourg team have three internationals, it's remarkable. Really well done.
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