Northern Ireland: It was glory for Cliftonville

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 Cliftonville 3-1 Linfield

Cliftonville have ended their 45-year wait for cup glory, they are Irish Cup winners for the first time since 1979. 

It was glory for Cliftonville

Linfield put in a lot of effort and hard work but on the day, Cliftonville just did a little bit more. Unfortunately for their fans, Linfield fell short. Those inside the stadium had hoped for something spectacular and Hale's goal certainly delivered that.

A closer look at what happened in Belfast

It was ultimately two extra-time goals from Ronan Hale that handed Cliftonville the trophy. Both sides had been locked together at the end of the 90 minutes. Ethan McGee’s 14th minute opener for the Blues was cancelled out by 52nd minute header from Cliftonville’s Sam Ashford.

The best reaction

Jamie, a Cliftonville fan, said: "Linfield put up a strong fight, which is why they are among the top teams in the country. At the beginning of the season, I always say that finishing above Linfield means you have a good chance of winning the league. We knew it was going to be a challenging game, and fans knew we were the underdogs. However, fans knew that the manager had a solid game plan, and it paid off. Me and the other other fans are so proud."

Frankie, another Cliftonville fan, said: "I am so proud of everyone that is associated with the club. I have always dreamed of winning this trophy and we finally did it. That was probably one of the days I've had watching football."

The Cliftonville manager Jim Magilton told the media after the match: "You talk about effort, you talk about pride, you talk about determination, against all the odds if you like, our keeper and our centre-half, two people that would be unbelievable for us this season [go off injured], then we had to really dig in, go a goal behind but what can you say about a group of players that have just done so much today, it's just unbelievable, I'm immensely proud."

They recently paraded the trophy through their city. See the video below Irish_News. 

They tweeted: "Cliftonville paraded through the city of Belfast today as they celebrated their Irish Cup victory with their fans, one such being Joe Morgan, who flew over from Southampton to watch the Reds lift the cup."

As the 2023/2024 season comes to a close across the continent, European Super Football is the place for all the latest news and stories. Keep checking our website, never miss out on some interesting match reports like this one. 

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