By Rob Wright
Shamrock Rovers will welcome FC Copenhagen to Tallaght with every chance of progressing to the play-off round of the Champions League after a great European display in Denmark.
Playing against a team that made it to the last 16 of last season’s Champions League and one that held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw at the same venue, Rovers never looked daunted and indeed were the better team for much of the game.
Manager Michael O’Neill will be left to rue several great chances that went a-begging, but after going behind in the fourth minute, he should be happy to take the tie back to Tallaght Stadium with the Hoops still very much in the game.
The absence of goalkeeper Alan Mannus, who moved to Scottish side St Johnston after Rover’s Champions League victory against FC Talinn meant that Ryan Thompson became the first Jamaican national to play in the UEFA Champions League.
However, one of Thompson’s first actions of the game was to pick the ball after the net after the Hoops feel behind to an early goal.
Copenhagen won an early corner kick that Rovers fail to deal with, and the ball drifted back out to the right wing. Solvi Ottesen was then first to the powerful cross back into the penalty area and was on hand to direct a bullet header to the back of the net.
The fears that Rovers could crumble after conceding such an early goal were there, but they responded well and slowly worked their way into the game, backed by a large and vocal travelling support.
Pierre Bengsston looked lively down the left wing for Copenhagen and his cross into the box was just too pacey for Pape Pate Diouf to connect with, but despite having more of the early possession, Copenhagen were struggling to create chances.
Indeed is was Rovers who went closest with Billy Dennehy going within inches of equalising on 28 minutes. Copenhagen struggled to deal with a cross in toward Gary Twigg and when Ottesen was unable to get the ball from out of his feet, Dennehy muscled him off it and prodded a shot towards goal that was just blocked by goalkeeper Johan Wiland.
It was now Rovers’ turn to turn the screw and when the home side again struggled to deal with a dropping ball in the box, this time from Dennehy, the signs were there that Copenhagen could be got at.
However with just minutes left before the break Copenhagen caught Rovers cold and broke forward in numbers. The cross came in from the left, and when Diouf powered his header goalwards, it looked for all the world as if he would double his side’s lead, only for Thompson to dive brilliantly and tip it over the crossbar.
Rovers continued to search for the crucial away goal after the restart and they came within a whisker of claiming it on 57 minutes. Dennehy drifted in a teasing corner from the right and Ken Oman was on hand to out-jump everyone, but was unable to direct his header on target.
Dennehy was proving to be the real dangerman for Rovers, but they were almost caught napping ten minutes later. Christian Grindheim cut in from the left and played a neat one-two with Diouf on the edge of the Rovers box. Grindheim then took a touch before unleashing a low and powerful shot that the diving Thompson was just about able to turn behind.
In what was becoming an end-to-end affair, Rovers then enjoyed one of the best chances of the game as Dennehy burst free down the left before sending over a cross that fell between two defenders and onto the head of Gary Twigg. However the Rovers striker was only able to direct the ball at the goalkeeper.
In a game where there Rovers heroes all over the pitch, few covered more ground that Stephen Rice, but the midfielder lost his cool in the closing stages when the referee appears to miss a punch thrown at him by Diouf. Rice was then left screaming at Claudemir who threw himself to ground theatrically in search of a penalty.
Manager Michael O’Neill took Rice off, bringing on Ciaran Kilduff, as the Hoops pushed forward in the dying seconds in search of that illusive goal. And while it wasn’t forthcoming, Rovers will look forward to the second leg with optimism, after a display that will give Hoops plenty of reasons to be cheerful.