Champions League 1st qualifying round, 2nd leg: Shamrock Rovers 2 Víkingur Reykjavík 1 (2-1 on aggregate)
Frustrated at not scoring from a couple of openings in Iceland last week, Johnny Kenny made amends with a sublime first half brace to ultimately put Shamrock Rovers into the second round of the Champions League qualifiers.
But it came with some incredible late drama as Víkingur wasted the chance to force extra-time when missing a penalty eight minutes into added time against a Rovers’ side down to 10 men.
Rovers’ captain Roberto Lopes, excellent throughout, was penalised for a foul on Vladimar Ingimundarson which Hoops vehemently appealed.
After a lengthy VAR check, English referee Jarred Gillett stuck to his initial decision and again pointed to the spot.
The stadium held its breath as Víkingur captain Nikolaj Hansen, who had come off the bench to get them back into the game in the second half, shot his spot kick against the outside of a post as the ground erupted in relief.
Getting through sets up a meeting with Sparta Prague, the first leg of which is back in Tallaght next week, bringing with it a minimum guaranteed prize fund of €1.7 million from at least another two rounds in Europe.
But Rovers will be without Jack Byrne for next week’s meeting with the Czech side as their playmaker was sent off for a second booking late on.
With one change from last week, Víkingur started promisingly here, forcing a corner on 16 seconds before giving Rovers a right scare inside the second minute.
Rovers didn’t fully clear the set-piece which was quickly recycled. Ari Sigurpalsson pulled the ball back for Helgi Gudjonsson whose shot Lopes did well to block.
Kenny started in place of the suspended Darragh Nugent in the one change in Rovers line-up and the Celtic loanee made his presence felt on eight minutes as Rovers scored with their first attack of the game.
Gunnar Vatnhamar stepped up in attempting to play an offside from Dylan Watts’ sublime ball down the right.
Kenny did not hesitate, skipping away in behind and showing fine composure to cut back inside Peter Ekroth and drill his left-foot shot through the legs of goalkeeper Ingvar Jonsson.
Rovers stretched the sluggish Víkingur defence again on 16 minutes, Byrne playing Gary O’Neill in behind.
Jonsson partially averted the danger before Trevor Clarke’s shot was deflected out for Rovers’ first corner of the night.
But the visitors rearguard had no answer to Kenny’s positional sense and pace as he doubled Rovers’ lead with his second sight of goal on 20 minutes.
Midfielder Watts was again the architect, ghosting past three opponents before treading the ball down the left for the acceleration of Kenny.
With Ekroth hesitant once again, Kenny, brimming with confidence, drilled a right-foot shot through the centre-back’s legs to beat a poorly positioned Jonsson at the near post for a 12th goal of the season.
Víkingur enjoyed plenty of possession for much of the remainder of the first half, but laboured to create anything of significance in the final third as Rovers kept their shape well.
Víkingur made two changes from the restart as they chased the tie, furious with themselves not to have got a goal back within four minutes.
Matthias Vilhjalmsson and Erlingur Agnarsson worked the ball across for Ari Sigurpalsson who contrived to bounce his effort over the crossbar.
Hansen, the other of those half-time changes, was far more accurate right on the hour as he got his side back into the tie, stooping to head past Leon Pohls from Sigurpalsson’s left flank cross.
Though Víkingur had Rovers pinned back now, they were almost caught on the counterattack on 67 minutes.
Kenny was once again the out, collecting substitute Neil Farrugia’s pass to cut across the edge of the area and shoot narrowly wide.
Rovers had to dig in for the remaining 20 minutes or so after Byrne, booked earlier for throwing the ball away, received his second yellow card for a foul on Ingimundarson.
Pohls then played his part in the final minutes, thwarting Anderson and Ingimundarson before Rovers survived the amazing late drama.
Shamrock Rovers: Pohls; Cleary, Lopes, Hoare; Honohan, O’Neill, Watts, Clarke (Farrugia, 62); Byrne, Greene (Burns, 65); Kenny (Grace, 80).
Víkingur Reykjavík: Jonsson; Gunnarsson, Ekroth, G. Vatnhamar, Fjoluson; Agnarsson (Thrandarson, 82), Punyed (Andrason, 74), Sigurpalsson (Thordarson, 74), Gudjonsson (Hansen, h-t); Ingimundarson, Djuric (Vilhjalmsson, h-t).
Referee: Jarred Gillett (England).
Attendance: 7,632.
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