Mipo Odubeko scored the only goal in an all-Irish Champions League qualifier, giving Shelbourne a narrow advantage over Linfield heading into next week’s second leg in Belfast.
Joey O’Brien’s side were those who set the tempo early on, they were awarded the games opening two corners and the second resulted in a near post header that hit off the woodwork. Shelbourne were able to quickly retain possession and a well floated cross from Paddy Barrett found Evan Caffrey, who’s headed effort was well saved by Chris Johns.
VAR made its first appearance at Tolka Park tonight and showed exactly why it can be a valuable tool for officials. A scrappy passage of play in the Linfield box ended with a JJ Lunney effort that was blocked by Ben Hall. From the referee’s angle, it looked like the centre-back had handled the ball, and Shelbourne were initially awarded a penalty. However, after a VAR review, the decision was rightly overturned, Hall’s arm was in a natural position.
The first 45 minutes saw Shelbourne do everything but score. They were by far the superior side and, barring a few minor scares on the counter, Linfield offered very little. Harry Wood was head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch, clearly the biggest threat in the first half. However, the lack of impact from both Mipo Odubeko and Ali Coote was a major reason why the sides went into the break level.
Ali Coote may have struggled to make an impact, but within a minute of his replacement Sean Boyd entering the pitch, Shelbourne took the lead. Odubeko won an aerial duel against Hall and nodded the ball down to Boyd, who held it up well before laying it back into Odubeko’s path. The former West Ham man shifted it onto his left foot and slotted it calmly into the bottom right corner, a composed finish from a player once described by Rodney Collins as “one of the worst finishers I’ve seen in Irish football.”
Chasing the game, Linfield were forced to push forward and that played right into Shelbourne’s hands. The extra space allowed both Odubeko and Boyd to show more of their quality. Mipo nicked the ball off a Linfield player, and Harry Wood picked it up before threading a quick pass through to Boyd. Rather than take on the defender, Boyd opted to lay it off to Tyreke Wilson, whose first-time effort was comfortably dealt with by Johns.
It would be just the one goal for Shelbourne on the night, in a game where they arguably deserved three or four. From the opening minutes, it was clear they were the better side.
Is that down to a fitness advantage from the LOI schedule, or does it point to a genuine gap in quality between football in the North and South? That’s up for interpretation.
This time next week, the 2024 LOI champions will travel to Windsor Park for the second leg. Linfield will need to show far more quality if they’re to have any chance of progressing to the next round.