A deciding goal in extra time by Kerri Letmon powered Peamount United to victory over Dinamo Minsk during their lucrative quarter-final match at the Uefa Women’s Champions League qualifier in Croatia. The clash, which initially concluded 1-1 after the standard 90-minute mark, propelled coach James O’Callaghan’s team to play the winner of the game between Osijek or Spartak Myjava in the pathway final.
After a firm 90-minute clash, which saw a goal by Peas forward Ellen Dolan neutralised by Dinamo’s Anna Sas, Letmon’s punctuating performance in extra time saw SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division champions seize the victory prize.
Participating in a European tournament for the first instance since 2021 – a year that saw Serbia’s Spartak Subotica halt their Champions League ambitions – Peamount couldn’t have wished for a more auspicious commencement at the Croatian platform.
Seven minutes into the match, Dolan directed the ball into Dinamo’s net, thanks to an assist by Niamh Farrelly, after an initial unsuccessful attempt off a Jess Fitzgerald’s cross. A call for a water break halfway the first half saw Peamount still leading the scoreline, only for Dinamo to equalise in the 33rd minute when Sas converted Alina Charlionak’s corner kick.
Upon match resumption, both team managers made strategic changes. Dinamo’s manager, Yuri Maleev, initiated a triple change to his playing roster, while O’Callaghan added Letmon to his line-up, a move that later proved fruitful. Letmon would be later joined by replacements Michelle Doonan and Ciara Maher.
With 13 shot attempts made by Dinamo, over Peamount’s five efforts, the stalwart performance of Irish keeper Niamh Reid-Burke ensured her team’s triumph in the face of the numerical advantage.
An ex-international player from the Republic of Ireland contributed significantly to the Dublin team’s successful push for an extra half-hour of play during a game in which Peas made a strong start. In her debut match for Peas, against Athlone Town at a local league game in late July, Letmon scored a goal that established her as a quick favourite. Her status soared further when she managed to beat Dinamo’s Ekaterina Kovalchuk with a strike in the 96th minute of the match, a feat that proved her worth as a former DLR Waves and Shelbourne standout.
PEAMOUNT UNITED’s team comprised Reid-Burke, O’Callaghan (replaced by Brophy, 100), Berrill, Moloney, McCartan; Farrelly (swapped for Maher, 88); Watkins (Letmon joined, 52), Fitzgerald (McManus came on, 100), Duggan, Beirne (Doonan stepped in, 74); Dolan.
As for DINAMO-BSUPC, the lineup included Kovalchuk; Slesarchik, Maher, Sas, Maniukova, and Kapustina (Kalinouskaya, 46); Kharashchak (Kavaliova, 46), Charlionak (Siniauskaya, 71), Artishevskaya (Harshkova, 46), Pilipenko, and Shuppo (Kapysha, 100).
The referee for this match was T Misja from Slovenia.