The initial qualifying round of the Champions League culminated in a solid, albeit goalless draw between Shamrock Rovers and Víkingur Reykjavík. A resolute defence ensured a draw for the Irish champions in the first leg played in Iceland, which leaves everything hanging in the balance for the second leg at Tallaght Stadium the following Tuesday.
Despite having the possession dominantly and a significant total of 16 corner kicks, Víkingur were unable to overcome a robust Shamrock Rovers line-up, with Leon Pohls proving nearly impossible to breach, even when the Rovers were down to 10 men following Darragh Nugent’s dismissal in the last part of the match.
Rovers nearly had an even stronger position to play from in the return match, however, a golden opportunity in the 87th minute was squandered.
Coming from a pass by fellow reserve Darragh Burns, Johnny Kenny missed his shot against the soon to be lone goalkeeper, Ingvar Jónsson, by hitting the ball over the crossbar. This was a surprising move considering Kenny is Rovers’ top goal scorer and thus was not expected to be benched by manager Stephen Bradley. Bradley also brought on Aaron Greene to spearhead the attack with Dan Cleary fortifying the defence, being the only other change since their victory over Dundalk the previous week.
The first few minutes saw Rovers taking an assertive start with captain Roberto Lopes aiming for a goal from Dylan Watts’ cross. Still, Víkingur soon gained control over the game. Five points clear at the top of their domestic league and having successfully maintained a clean sheet in their previous six home games in Europe, Víkingur posed a substantial threat, particularly after Jon Gudni Fjoluson’s attempt was blocked by Pohls and the rebound struck the post before being cleared away by Cleary.
As the match progressed, Danijel Djuric, a promising international player, caused trouble for Rovers with his close attempt in the 16th minute. Nonetheless, Rovers managed to hold their position solidly, constituting a challenge for Víkingur while managing to pose a threat of their own.
In the moments leading to half-time, Vikingur’s threat from set-pieces was efficiently neutralised through resilient defence of a series of four corner kicks. Rovers began the second half with a promising chance following exceptional play from Jack Byrne and Watts, although Nugent failed to harness Watts’ exceptional pass inside the Vikingur area, leading to the danger being averted.
A careless play by Clarke provided Vikingur with their initial opportunity at the target in the second half, leading to Rovers breathing a sigh of relief as Agnarsson’s shot was redirected for another corner kick. Lopes’ clumsy touch introduced additional threat, with Rovers managing to obstruct a shot from Djuric. They soon found further respite as Punyed’s shot soared over the top.
Rovers’ first substantial opportunity of the evening became apparent soon after Kenny’s entry, as he artfully manoeuvred past Oliver Ekroth to deliver a shot that narrowly missed the target with Vikingur on the backfoot. Despite Nugent’s ejection at the 80-minute mark for diving, Rovers remained competitive, although Kenny couldn’t capitalise on a golden opportunity.
As the match moved into the added five-minute period, Vikingur applied pressure with Djuric barely missing a free kick and Agnarsson’s misplaced header in the closing moments, but Rovers stood their ground.
In terms of the team line-up, Vikingur Reykjavík included Jonsson, Gunnarsson, Ekroth, G. Vatchamar, Fjoluson, Djuric, Punyed, who was replaced by Andrason in the 81st minute, Gudjonsson, who was substituted by Sigurpalsson at the 66-minute mark, as well as Agnarsson, Hansen and Ingimundarson, with the latter two being replaced by Vilhjalmsson and Thordarson respectively in the 66th and 81st minute.
The Shamrock Rovers team comprised Pohls, Lopes, Cleary, Hoare, Honohan, O’Neill, Watts, who was replaced by Towell in the 90th minute, Clarke, who made way for Farrugia in the 74th minute, as well as Nugent, Byrne, who was substituted by Burns at the 74-minute mark, and Greene, who was replaced by Kenny in the 66th minute.
The referee was Sigurd Kringstad from Norway.
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