Europa League third qualifying round second leg: Shamrock Rovers 3 Celje 1 AET (Watts 37, Farrugia 40, Burke 96; Karnicnik 83)
(Shamrock Rovers win 3-2 on aggregate)
Their most rousing display of the season brought Shamrock Rovers the massive reward in achieving one of manager Stephen Bradley’s main goals, that of group stage football in Europe.
On a night that began well with a vibrant first-half performance delivering a 2-0 interval lead, ended with a tie-winning goal from substitute Graham Burke in extra-time of an enthralling match that ebbed and flowed, eventually in Rovers’ favour.
It is a record third group stage qualification for a League of Ireland side and extra special for Rovers having sealed this one at their Tallaght Stadium home.
Rovers are thus guaranteed at least group stage football in the Conference League ahead of a Europa League play-off round game against PAOK of Greece, with the first leg in Thessaloniki next week, and minimum guaranteed prize money of approximately €4 million.
Chasing a 1-0 deficit, Rovers started confidently, Neil Farrugia giving Aaron Greene an opening inside the second minute which forced a corner.
Ten minutes later Farrugia again threatened when surging into the area only for the chance to fizzle out.
Celje got their first sight of Rovers’ goal on 16 minutes, Lee Grace defending well in snuffing out the threat from Aljosa Match.
Minutes later loud appeals for a penalty from Rovers fans were not entertained as Trevor Clarke appeared to be muscled to the ground by David Zec.
Grace was then there again in defending diligently to block at full stretch a close range shot from Armandas Kucys after a fine break down the left by Ivan Brnic.
The key moments of the first half then arrived inside a pulsating four minutes as Rovers scored twice.
The first needed a VAR check after the Romanian referee Ovidiu Hategan initially gave a free out when Greene collided with goalkeeper Lovro Stubljar on 35 minutes.
Asked to review it, Hategan checked the sideline television replay and to raucous approval pointed to the penalty spot.
Dylan Watts stepped up to score emphatically from 12 yards, sending Stubljar the wrong way.
It marked Rovers’ 100th goal in European club competition, the first having been scored by Jimmy ‘Maxie’ McCann against Manchester United’s Busby Babes at Old Trafford in 1957.
Better was soon to come as the lead was doubled five minutes before half-time.
The power and pace of Farrugia, enjoying his best 45 minutes of the season, saw him collect Josh Honohan’s throw-in to slalom across the edge of the Celje box before drilling a powerful low drive to the corner of the net for his first goal in European club football.
With Celje rightly rattled, it should have been 3-0 in first half stoppage time. Farrugia again galloped into the area with the ball breaking for Trevor Clarke who looked set to score.
The winger’s shot had the power but lacked direction as it was straight at Stubljar who stuck out a right foot to save.
Likewise, Honohan wasted a glorious opening three minutes into the second half, blazing over the top after Clarke did well on the left to work the opening.
Having made three substitutions on the restart and another shortly afterwards, Celje pressed hard to get back into the game.
Rovers’ captain Roberto Lopes blocked shots from Zan Karnicnik and Kucys either side of Nino Koeter shooting over when he should have hit the target.
But Celje’s pressure told on 82 minutes. Kucys’ deep diagonal cross was met superbly by Karnicnik whose angled volley flew across Leon Pohls to the opposite side of the net.
Grace then had to frantically clear off the line from Matja Kavcic as extra-time came.
It was there that Burke struck six minutes in, careering forward through midfield to unleash a low drive that went through Stubljer’s despairing attempt to save. Burke’s record-extending ninth goal in Europe for Rovers.
The drama continued with Pohls making the save of the game to deny Rolando Aarons at one end before Rovers substitute Darragh Burns had a goal disallowed for offside following another VAR check.
Rovers, though, had done enough.
Shamrock Rovers: Pohls: Hoare, Lopes, Grace; Watts, O’Neill; Honohan (O’Sullivan, 110), Nugent (Towell, 80), Clarke (Cleary, 80); Farrugia (Burke, 88); Greene (Burns, 91).
NK Celje: Stubljer; Zec, Vuklisevic, Namanic (Karnicnik, h-t), Kavcic; Kvesic (Aarons, 104), Pisek (Kouter, 53), Bobicanec (Dulca, h-t); Brnic (Menalo, h-t), Kucys, Matko (Emilson, 78).
Referee: Ovidiu Hategan (Romania).
Attendance: 6,153.
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