The Europa Conference League hopes of Shamrock Rovers were ended this evening after they suffered a 2-0 loss in Tallaght Stadium to Norwegian side Molde.
Rovers began the game superbly, with Aaron Greene missing a gilt-edged close-range chance in only the second minute. Ronan Finn came close ten minutes later, before Greene missed another promising opportunity after firing his shot straight at the keeper.
Shamrock Rovers were undone when Datro Fofana headed home after a superb counter-attacking move. However, on second viewing it was clear that the Ivorian was a couple of feet off-side when the cross was played in.
Despite the lack of VAR in the Europa Conference League, it should not have been missed by the officials.
Richie Towell came close with an effort in the second-half, before Molde sealed the win in the 69th minute through Kristian Eriksen, who headed in from a corner.
The loss leaves Rovers with just one point after four games, and means that they cannot catch Molde or table-toppers Djurgardens.
Shamrock Rovers Undone By Lack Of VAR
Here it is: https://t.co/AW7UvxjXNG https://t.co/3deEvPYtqg
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) October 13, 2022
Molde take the lead.
Such a blow to Shamrock Rovers who had three really good chances but failed to take advantage.#RoversInEurope | #UECL pic.twitter.com/UfZ2vXqPck— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) October 13, 2022
READ HERE: Watch: Shamrock Rovers Comfortably Beaten By Gent In Europe
Despite their perilous position at the bottom of the group heading into tonight's match, manager Stephen Bradley was optimistic pre-game.
"I think we can [qualify]. If we win our next two games, it's all to play for against Djurgardens.
"But we have to take care of a difficult game tomorrow night and then Gent, and both games we lost quite comfortably away, and we know we have to [reach our levels] if we want to win both, but I think if we win both, we are right there, because the group is really tight."
"When you’re playing away from home in Europe, it’s not just the 90 minutes."
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