Dundalk 3
KI Klaksvik 1
FILIPPO GIOVAGNOLI CALLED this a kamikaze mission and, incredibly, he’s stuck the landing.
The Italian landed in Ireland six weeks ago and was met with internal turmoil and external scepticism, fuelled by a CV so bare it didn’t show he had even managed an adult football team.
Now he’s emulated Michael O’Neill and Stephen Kenny in guiding a League of Ireland side to the Europa League group stage. The compares well with any of the year’s oddities, even by 2020′s psychadelic standards.
The win brings Dundalk back to the competition they graced under Kenny four years ago, and bags them a minimum €2.9 million.
There were degrees of surreality at play tonight: a booming PA system calling for applause in an empty, cavernous stadium was one, and that the Irish side were actually playing the seasoned ogres of a fairytale was another. This was hailed as one for the biggest nights in the history of football in the Faroe Islands, as KI – from a town of just 5,000 people – aimed to become the first Faroese side to ever compete in the competition’s group stages.
Dundalk, however, took the lead in the first half, doubled it a minute into the second, saw it halved in a rocky period from the hour mark and then dealt KI a sucker punch on the counter in the game’s closing stages.
KI began as Dundalk expected – and any Irish crowd might recognise – by knocking the ball long to their muscular strike force, with several eager runners from midfield pushing up in support.
This left Dundalk some early space into which they could break, and so Stevan Colovic got an early chance to gallop into swathes of space down the right wing, but saw his cross headed wide at the near post by a stooping Pat Hoban.
Shortly after, Patrick McEleney found himself in lots of space in midfield, with goalkeeper Kristian Joensen throwing himself to his left to beat a curling shot away.
This frightened KI into abandoning their meagre ambition and they dropped off into a stubborn, vacuum-packed 5-4-1 through which Dundalk couldn’t pick; a succession of lateral and backwards passes scored to shouts from Gary Rogers to “move it quickly.”
Dundalk eventually found it was best to go over them. Sean Hoare slung a deep ball from right-back on top of Pat Hoban, who skipped a header forward for Sean Murray, who timed his run to perfection to steal ahead of Heini Vatnsdal and nod the ball beyond the cumbrous KI ‘keeper.
Murray came to life from there, fizzing a shot over the bar from distance.
Dundalk doubled their lead two minutes into the second half, as KI made a hames in clearing their lines from a corner. Some penalty area pinball fell perfectly for Daniel Cleary, who volleyed the ball into the roof of the net from three yards.
Then, on the hour mark, Dundalk grew lax. A loose pass in midfield led to Rogers smartly pushing away a Patrik Johannsen effort, with a subsequent corner causing havoc in the area: Hoban blocked an initial effort in front of Rogers, with Brian Gartland forced to head the follow-up from Jakup Andreasen off his own line.
Although the rain sluiced down, KI continued to turn up the heat and Dundalk paid no heed to the smoke signals. Five minutes after the hour, the Faroes halved the deficit when Ole Erik Midtskogen was given enough time to rifle a shot into the bottom corner from distance.
It encouraged the KI to find their range: Joannes Bjartalio knuckleballed an effort from the same spot that wobbled before it was beaten away by an edgy Rogers.
Now Dundalk were dropping deep, but their doing so was less a plan than an instinct of survival. With 12 minutes remaining and nerves fraying, however, came sweet relief. Gartland hacked the ball clear from the box with the outstanding Sean Murray winning the ball in midfield and arcing a gorgeous pass into the path of substitute Daniel Kelly, who slid the ball beneath Joensen.
At the end, with his jacket shimmering with the night’s rain and his eyes gleaming, Giovagnoli pumped his fists and leaped into his assistant’s arms.
Dundalk will lear their group opponents tomorrow afternoon, as Giovagnoli readies himself for the utterly unimaginable. He and his players have given the rest of us an improbable sporting tale with which we can fortify ourselves against a long and hard winter.
Dundalk: Gary Rogers; Sean Hoare, Brian Gartland, Daniel Cleary, Darragh Leahy; Sean Murray, Greg Sloggett, Patrick McEleney (John Mounteney, 80′); Stefan Colovic (Daniel Kelly, 70′), Pat Hoban (David McMillan, 70′), Michael Duffy
KI Klaksvik: Kristian Joensen; Deni Pavlovic (John Johanessen, 86′), Odmar Faero, Jesper Brinck; Jakup Andreasen, Heini Vatnsdal, Joannes Bjartalio, Patrik Johannsen; Ole Erik Midtskogen, Pail Klettskard (Boris Dosljak), Joannes Danielsen
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
Serious atmosphere here in Cavan. This is exactly where you want to be playing the All Ireland Champions. Whatever the result these games against the top 4 will stand to us in the summer months
It’s exactly the gate the county board needed as well
Mind blowing that people would actually travel to watch that rubbish sport.
@Ordinary lad: the much “hyped” Irish Rugby team lost yesterday. How much money do those lads earn?
Mind blowing that someone would take the time to open an article about a sport they consider to be ‘rubbish’ and then take the time to comment on it.
How can a team that receives €120k in funding compete against a team that receives €1.4million
Hahaha give over Al . Deep down you love the gaa
@Alan b..: Sure all the money we’ll be spending here we’ll double that funding for you pal ;)
a decent workout so far get rid of the Jamaican rum and redstripe against another nordie team who’s sole intention is to pull drag and hit off the ball.
Don’t know what game your watching. The hits off the ball have been 50:50.
Eh cavan is in the south of Ireland Einstein
fergal reilly should count himself lucky to share a pitch with these wonderful dublin footballers instead of going around like a drunk at a wedding looking for a fight.
That was stared by the Dublin man on the ground. You’re incredibly anti ulster football
And then mdma was the first man to get involved.
And who look for a figth at a wedding
ah lorcan stop it now.
fergal reilly would.
it’s north of me ya tit
@Alan b..: that explains why the dubs were late they looked at a map and headed north. When did this geographical transplant take place.
don’t be a tit like alan cavan play in ulster which is up north so they are nordies.
Cavan is not in Northern Ireland you don’t cross the border or use sterling
I didn’t say it was in Northern Ireland .
What do you mean by nordie then?if you are calling them that cos they’re north of you does that mean someone from cork would class Dublin as a nordie team
if they wanted to yes beacuse they would be northern to a Cork person now cavan is in ulster and part of the Republic of Ireland beacuse the brits didn’t want the kip so yes you are nordies which we where stuck with.
Stop you’re just embarrassing yourself
What part of Dublin are you from?
what difference does it make?
cavan play in the ulster champions with the other 8 nordie counties it’s no big deal just accept it is the way it is don’t be embarrassed alan.
All the complaints about dublins fans. Have any other county brought a few thousand fans with them today ?
@Gavin Byrne: In comparison Dublin have a fan base of about 10 times what other counties have. So of course they will bring large numbers with them.
Fair play today they really brought a fantastic atmosphere and plenty of money to Cavan town today
That a few time in the last three years the cavan has been delayed because of the fans.
If the dubs can’t make it to croke park on time how do you expect them to make it to cavan on time
@Lorcán Coyle: Should know by now that nothing in Cavan ever starts on time, nearest fifteen minutes, sure that’ll do.!!!
Ref jersey looks too like Dubs
We’ll save that excuse for later
Massive achievement if Roscommon can some how stay up in Division 1.
Lorcan are u watching the match