Soccer

Sligo Rovers score stoppage-time penalty to rescue a point against Cork City at the Showgrounds

The visitors were two goals up with just 12 minutes remaining

Sligo Rovers hosted Cork City at the Showgrounds on Saturday night. Photograph: Evan Logan/Inpho
Sligo Rovers hosted Cork City at the Showgrounds on Saturday night. Photograph: Evan Logan/Inpho
Sat Mar 11 2023 - 22:21

Sligo Rovers 2 Cork City 2

Cork City were caught out by an injury-time equaliser for the second time in a week in their 2-2 draw with Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds.

Six days after Shamrock Rovers levelled in the 97th minute against the Rebels in Tallaght, Sligo’s Max Mata slotted home a stoppage-time penalty to earn his side a share of the spoils in front of over 3,000 fans.

The visitors were two goals up with just 12 minutes remaining after goals in either half from Jonas Hakkinen and Ruairi Keating.

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But defender Eanna Clancy claimed his first goal for the hosts to pull them back into it, and Mata then struck from the spot for his fourth goal of the season after Sligo substitute Kailin Barlow was fouled in the area.

Barlow replaced Greg Bolger at half-time as the home side looked to recover from a sloppy first-half that saw centre back Hakkinen head home the opening goal from close range when the hosts failed to deal with a Cork corner.

Former Sligo striker Keating doubled the lead just after the hour mark with a smooth shot on the turn from outside of the area.

The 18-year-old Clancy was restored to the Rovers team by manager John Russell due to John Mahon’s sending-off on Monday, and he responded by applying the finish to Johan Brannefalk’s corner with 10 minutes left.

Then Barlow showed quick feet inside the area to draw the foul that enabled New Zealand international Mata to rescue a point at the death.

SLIGO: McNicholas, Brannefalk, Clancy, Pijnaker, Hutchinson, Bolger (Barlow ht), Browning, Hartmann, Radosavljevic (Vastsuk 69), Fitzgerald (Liivak 69), Mata.

CORK: Corcoran, Custovic, Hakkinen, Gilchrist, Honohan, Coleman, Crowley (Winbo 56), Healy (O’Brien-Whitmarsh 82), Krezic (Bargary ht), Varian, Keating (Owolabi 69).

Referee: A Hunter