Shelbourne knock Linfield out of Champions League
Linfield 1 - 1 Shelbourne (Shelbourne won 2-1 on aggregate)
Shelbourne booked their place in the second qualifying round of the Champions League after eliminating ten-man Linfield
Author | Mark Lee
Stadium | Windsor Park
Leading by a single goal from the first leg at Tolka Park, Shels extended their advantage midway through the first half thanks to a composed finish from Allistair Coote. The hosts equalised before the break through a Chris Shields penalty, but a second-half red card for Ben Hall all but ended Linfield’s hopes of turning the tie around.
Shelbourne will now face Qarabag in the next round, while Linfield drop into the Europa Conference League, where they will meet Lithuanian champions Žalgiris.
A closer look at what happened
The second leg had added significance for David Healy, who was taking charge of Linfield for the 500th time. His side responded to the occasion with a positive opening in the south Belfast sunshine, pushing Shels back early on. A Kirk Millar free-kick was kept alive by Ethan Magee, but Evan Caffrey did well to prevent Hall from converting at the far post.
Soon after, Linfield were gifted a golden chance. A miscued clearance from goalkeeper Conor Kearns fell straight to Matthew Fitzpatrick, who tried to chip the ball back over the stranded keeper. His first-time effort, however, dropped wide of the post.
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It was a miss the Blues would come to regret. Against the run of play, Shelbourne broke the deadlock on 25 minutes. Harry Wood had his effort cleared off the line by Shields, but the visitors worked the ball back into the box and Coote calmly steered his shot into the far corner.
With a two-goal cushion in the tie, Shelbourne began to sit deeper, allowing Linfield to press forward. Their efforts were rewarded in first-half stoppage time when Tyreke Wilson handled the ball inside the area. Referee Andy Madley pointed to the spot and Shields, under pressure, sent substitute goalkeeper Lorcan Healy the wrong way.
Linfield thought they had completed the turnaround early in the second half when Kerr McInroy fired home from a well-worked short corner. But celebrations were halted after VAR intervened, ruling the goal out for a foul on Euan East.
The home side's challenge became even more daunting when Ben Hall was dismissed just after the hour for a second bookable offence. Shelbourne saw out the remainder of the match with little alarm, securing their place in the next round and bringing an end to Linfield’s Champions League hopes for another season.
