Shelbourne’s normally sturdy defensive foundation that has supported their successful season so far, disappointingly failed them in the intense heat of Zurich. As a result, their aspirations of moving forward in the Europa Conference League seem all but lost. The match against FC Zurich, stalwarts of European football with half a dozen group stage qualifications under their belt, was undoubtedly a tough test for Damien Duff’s current Premier Division frontrunners in the League of Ireland.
FC Zurich, following their fourth-place finish in their domestic league last season and an impressive 2-0 away victory in their first game of the new season, currently helm the Swiss Super League. With three international players in their team, they took control of the game right from the outset.
Only two weeks previous, Shelbourne had shocked St Joseph’s in a similar manner at Tolka Park within the first 27 seconds. However, the tables drastically turned in the Letzigrund Stadium as they found themselves trailing before the game had barely begun.
Although Shelbourne made the initial kick-off, a errant clearance by Sam Bone was swiftly intercepted by Zurich. After six efficient passes, Bledian Krasniqi served an exquisite low cross to Juan Jose Perea who smartly played it down the inside-left channel. The ball found its way to Nigerian midfielder Ifeanyi Onyedika who didn’t hesitate to strike it into the net from 14 yards, marking a regrettable start for the Dublin-based team.
Despite Duff’s strong criticism of his squad’s performance in their narrow 1-0 victory against Bray Wanderers in the previous FAI Cup game, and his subsequent decision to change three players in the line-up, the Zurich test proved a bit too taxing. Regardless of Shelbourne’s strategy of packing the midfield and deploying Will Jarvis and Harry Wood upfront without a traditional striker, their game-plan unravelled during the first minute.
While they somewhat managed to regain their footing and had short spells of ball possession, Zurich maintained overwhelming ball dominance. The Shels’ defensive lapses served as opportunities for Zurich, exacerbating the former’s problems. One such mistake happened in the 29th minute when a misplayed pass by Kameron Ledwidge intended for Shane Griffin was expertly capitalised upon by Onyedika.
In a thrilling match, Antonio Marchesano, a 27-year-old player, cleverly passed the ball to Conor Kearns, tricking him off his line and skilfully lobbing the ball into the net. Following this, Shelbourne made some tactical changes, introducing Seán Boyd in place of wing back Tyreke Wilson, right after the restart.
Nevertheless, the team could’ve suffered another goal within the span of two minutes. A corner kick executed by Nikola Katic was not properly cleared, and the ball eventually reached Marchesano. While he should have scored, his shot was regrettably wide off the goal. Regardless, he soon redeemed himself by successfully scoring his second goal as well as the third for Zurich. This happened 58 minutes into the game.
Mirlind Kryeziu’s stellar diagonal ball wasn’t intercepted by Griffin, and a 33-year-old player capitalised on the opportunity, netting the ball with a swift low drive, beating Kearns on the near post. It wasn’t until the 67th minute that Shelbourne posed a significant threat. Jarvis managed to get past substitute Cheveyo Tsawa, and his cross resulted in a deflect from Boyd’s flick, leading to another corner.
Kearns’ impressive save in a one-on-one with substitute Fernand Coure, 76 minutes into the game, restricted any further damage. Zurich remained in command throughout the match. Meanwhile, player rearrangement transpired in both teams with FC Zurich seeing changes like Marchesano being replaced by Oko-Flex in the 71st minute. Likewise, Shelbourne also made a few player switches, with Boyd subbing in for Wilson during halftime.
The match, overseen by referee Visar Kastrati from Kosovo, painted a gripping picture where FC ZURICH outshone SHELBOURNE.