Conference League: Shamrock Rovers 1 Apoel 1 (Watts 90+2; Laifis 58)
Dylan Watts delivered a late, late equaliser to earn Shamrock Rovers, down to 10 men for much of the second half, an unlikely draw against Apoel on the opening night of the new League Phase of the Conference League.
The promise for Rovers of three potentially winnable home games following the draw at the end of August looked like receiving a rude awakening here as Stephen Bradley’s side were outplayed for large periods by the Cypriot champions before 7,111 at Tallaght Stadium.
But with the watch into the second minute of added time to the 90, Jack Byrne delivered what was only Rovers’ second corner of the night for fellow substitute Watts to power a header to the net in front of the south stand.
The result adds an early-draw bonus of €133,000 to Rovers’ circa €4 million already guaranteed from this season’s run in Europe.
Citing he felt his side looked a trifle fatigued in last Friday’s 3-0 home loss to St Patrick’s Athletic, Bradley made three changes with Watts, Graham Burke, whose partner went into labour during the day, and Marc McNulty left out.
In their stead came midfielders Darragh Nugent and Markus Poom, neither of whom had started a game in some two months, and striker Johnny Kenny.
There was no place in the starting XI for Byrne, who spent nine months at Apoel in 2021 when signed by Mick McCarthy, though injury and two further managerial changes restricted his game time.
Roared on by a raucous band of some 850 travelling fans, Apoel started with eight full internationals from eight different countries, totalling more than 200 caps.
And they began very much on the front foot with a pass count five times greater in the early exchanges, as their speed and movement stretched an initially nervous-looking Rovers.
That said, it was the 17th minute before Brazilian Marquinhos got APOEL’s first real sight of goal, Moroccan international Youssef El-Araba setting him up to shoot inches wide.
The hardworking Kenny registered Rovers’ first attack of note minutes later, cleverly spinning a defender to just get under his shot that flew over the crossbar.
Much of the play resumed down in the other third, though, Marquinhos’ improvised overhead kick going wide while Dieumerci Ndongla rifled over the top from distance as Cypriots continued to enjoy much of the ball.
For all that dominance of the play, however, Apoel failed to create a clearcut chance in the first half with Rovers finally enjoying their first real spell of possession as the break approached.
They brought that into the second half to record the first shot on target in the game after 70 seconds.
Gary O’Neill slipped a pass through for the timely run of Kenny whose drive was straight into the hands of Slovenian goalkeeper Vid Belec.
That promise lasted just a further three minutes as Neil Farrugia was sent off for a tug back on Marquinhos, his second yellow card having been booked just before the interval.
Dan Cleary then bravely deflected a goal-bound shot from Sergio Tejera over the bar as Apoel regained the initiative.
A surging run from his own half from Kenny came to nothing before Pohls produced an astonishing save to tip over a flashing header from Konstantinos Laifis from a short corner.
It was a mere reprieve for the now overworked Rovers defence, though, as Apoel got their lead on 59 minutes.
Spaniard Tejera whipped over another corner which again found Laifis whose header found the net.
Rovers’ chief joy remained on the counter-attack through the pace of Kenny, who, played in by Danny Mandroiu on 74 minutes, again worked Belec.
With Byrne, Watts and Aaron Greene on for the final 15 minutes, Rovers bravely chased the game.
Apoel might have doubled their lead on 85 minutes, the lively Marquinhos failing to punish a slip by Cleary by shooting wide.
A miss Apoel would rue as midfielder Watts brought Rovers joy in stoppage time.
Shamrock Rovers: Pohls; Cleary, Lopes, Grace; Honohan, Poom (O’Sullivan, 54), O’Neill (Towell, 64), Farrugia; Mandroiu (Greene, 77), Nugent (Byrne, 77); Kenny (Watts, 77).
Apoel: Belec; Susic (Cheabake, 72), Petrovic, Laifis (Dvali, 88), Quintilla; Kostadinov, Abagna (Kattirtzis, 61); Ndongala (Corbu, 88), Tejera, Marquinhos; El-Arabi (Bah, 72).
Referee: Jérémie Pignard (France).
Attendance: 7,111.
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