Gothenburg - 0 Derry City - 1: Veteran defender Sean Hargan is no stranger to scoring goals having once played as a striker with Derry City, but he will seldom have scored a more important one than the one he got last night as he thundered a header home 10 minutes from time to give Derry City their first away victory in Europe.
And it was no more than Stephen Kenny's side deserved as they attacked their more illustrious opponents from the start. Despite playing a side with internationals, it was Derry who proved the more potent force and they fully deserved their victory.
Indeed, while Derry City did live a charmed life at times, it was they who created the better chances with winger Killian Brennan hitting the crossbar before Hargan eventually broke Swedish hearts with that late strike.
Playing a 4-5-1 formation from the off in a system regularly switched to a 4-3-3 with both Kevin McHugh and Killian Brennan getting up on the flanks to join lone striker Gary Beckett. And as the home side began to get a little frustrated, the visitors showed the ambition sought by their manager to threaten the Gothenburg goal. McHugh crossed the ball into the danger area after just two minutes, Brennan was first to react but his low drive failed to get the vital telling touch.
In the 12th minute the 3,500 attendance breathed a massive sigh of relief when the alert McHugh was involved in a race for possession with goalkeeper Benjt Andersson following an under-weighted back pass from Magness Johansson. The Donegalman did well to get a touch and while the goalkeeper deflected the ball wide for what appeared a corner, Moldovan referee, Genadi Sidenco, ordered a goal kick.
In the second half Gothenburg had the breeze at their backs and poured forward. In the 56th minute a cross by Stefan Selakovic presented Magnus Kihlberg with a free header but David Forde did well to push the ball around his post. Just two minutes later Brennan looped the ball over the goalkeeper's head but it hit the crossbar.
Despite battling against the wind Kevin Deery delivered another of his centres from the corner flag and Hargan raced forward, unmarked, to plant his header into the back of the net to seal the victory.
IFK GOTHENBURG: Andersson; A Johansson, Bjarsmyr, M Johansson, Johsson; Alexandersson, Kihlberg, Wernbloom, Vasquez (Wowoah, 83 mins); Selakovic (Mourad 65, mins), Berg (Wallecstedt, 73 mins).
DERRY CITY: Forde; McCallion, Kelly, Hutton, Hargan; McHugh (McGlynn, 89 mins), Deery, Molloy, Higgins (Martyn, 93 mins), Brennan; Beckett (O'Flynn, 85 mins).
Referee: Genadi Sidenco (Moldova).
