Shamrock Rovers lost 2-0 to Slovenian side NK Celje in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday night. It was Rovers’ second loss in two games in the League Phase of the competition, leaving somewhat of a mountain to climb to avoid an early exit. The latest defeat leaves Stephen Bradley’s side 33rd in a 36-team table after two rounds of fixtures.
Seven points were enough last season for most teams to secure European football after Christmas. This appears to be a formidable task for Shamrock Rovers as arguably tougher fixtures lie ahead. Rovers still have to travel to AEK Athens and Breiðablik in the League Phase. Well-known outfit Shakhtar Donetsk are the next visitors in the competition. This latest defeat was the latest setback in the Hoops’ hopes of replicating a similar achievement from last season.
First-half
The Prva Liga leaders dominated the opening half. Despite Shamrock Rovers having 36% of the possession, they never looked to threaten the NK Celje shotstopper, Zan Luk Leban. Rovers registered two shots in the half, one on target, which came from Rory Gaffney. The other attempt that went astray came from the returning Josh Honohan, who missed the last two games due to injury.
NK Celje had an early goal ruled out by VAR after a lengthy check in the 15th minute from the inevitable dangerman, Franko Kovačević. Less than 20 minutes after the disallowed goal, the same player had the ball in the back of the net again, this time without it being ruled out by the video assistant referee. A well-worked move by the away side left Kovačević with little work to do as NK Celje scored a deserved goal.
Just seven minutes after taking the lead, the Croatian striker had scored again. The ball was crossed in by Łukasz Bejger, who gave Ed McGinty little chance to deal with it. Kovačević stood at the back post with little chance of missing. That was his 5th goal of the Conference League proper.
Second-half
The second half showed a better account of Shamrock Rovers as the 21-time champions showed glimpses of getting back into it. An early flick from Rory Gaffney was unfortunate not to make it past the keeper. Rovers were chasing the game; they had 48% of possession in the half and registered seven more shots. Both Lee Grace and Roberto Lopes had good chances to draw one back around the 75th minute during a scramble in the box. Neither opportunity made it past the Slovenian shotstopper as it appeared to be one of those days.
Aside from these two particular moments, Shamrock Rovers appeared to be headed for defeat. Throughout the game, various nasty tackles were committed by the away side, one of which saw Lee Grace seemingly held aggressively by Mario Kvesić. Despite Rovers’ nine second-half attempts, only two registered on target, leaving little work for the keeper. A couple of attempts did lead to scrappy scenes near the goalline in an attempt to prevent Bradley’s side from scoring. Despite the little hope of clawing something back, many supporters were disgruntled by the additional time being just three minutes in the second half.
Key performers
Despite NK Celje getting the better of Shamrock Rovers on this occasion, various players gave a good account of themselves. Dylan Watts was at the forefront of anything positive during the 82 minutes he played before being replaced by John McGovern. Watts provided four key passes as well as recording a 79% pass accuracy rate.
The key performer across the two sides was the prolific goalscorer, Franko Kovačević. He scored the two goals and was the main issue for the Rovers’ backline. He played 83 minutes and recorded five shots, netting two. The NK Celje talisman has now brought his total to just 22 goals and is showing little sign of slowing down.
Post-match reaction
The action between the two sides did not come to an end as the referee blew his whistle to signal full-time. A war of words continued between Shamrock Rovers boss, Stephen Bradley and NK Celje manager, Albert Riera. The two had an ongoing issue stemming from last season’s two meetings. They met in the UEFA Europa League qualifier, and no love has been lost.
Riera made remarks about the Rovers manager ahead of kick-off. He said he needs to look up the meaning of ‘arrogant’ in the dictionary. Bradley had labelled the NK Celje boss “arrogant” last season. In the post-match reaction, he may have showcased why those comments were made.
The Spanish manager slammed Bradley in his post-match reaction, even saying, “There’s no one coming from abroad. I think this means something.” These comments were made despite the Rovers manager turning down an offer from Lincoln City in 2022 due to his son’s health taking priority.
The four-time league-winning manager hit back in his comments, saying Riera has “no class”. He continued to say, “Anyone who knows me, knows where my priorities lie”. This was referring to his family, in particular Josh, who recently rang the bell as he became cancer-free.
Looking ahead
For Shamrock Rovers in the UEFA Conference League, a big improvement will be required to make it out of the League Phase. Two defeats from two, and with now a minus five goal difference, it will be a tough task ahead. Next up for the Hoops in Europe is AEK Athens away from home on 6 November at 5.45 pm (Irish time).
This Sunday, Shamrock Rovers head north to take on Derry City in the League of Ireland Premier Division. The fixture marks Rovers’ third attempt to seal the title, and anything but a loss will do just that. The clash kicks off at 3 pm and will also be shown on Virgin Media Two.