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Ronan Finn (left) celebrates his goal with Rory Gaffney. Evan Treacy/INPHO

Rory Gaffney the star of the show as Shamrock Rovers take control of Champions League tie

Hoops striker set-up two goals, scored his side’s third but also could have been shown a red card on an eventful night against Hibernians of Malta.

Champions League first-round qualifier, first-leg

Shamrock Rovers 3
Hibernians 0

THIS NIGHT WAS all about Rory Gaffney.

The very, very good. And the ugly.

The Shamrock Rovers striker led the line superbly, delivering two almost identical assists in the first half to put the home side in complete control against Hibernians of Malta.

He then should have seen red in the 70th minute when a stray kick out on the ground connected with the face of Gabriel Izquier Artiles following a collision that saw both end up on the ground.

Deliberate or not, it was dangerous play.

A yellow was shown to both players but, had VAR been in place, that would surely have been upgraded for the frontman.

“I definitely caught him but I didn’t mean to,” he told RTÉ in his post-match interview.

It was a major let-off and, just when it seemed as if it might spark some kind of angry revival from the visitors, Gaffney then delivered a killer third goal in the 78th minute.

dylan-watts-celebrates-scoring-with-rory-gaffney Evan Treacy / INPHO Evan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

He took possession on the left wing, drove forward and played a neat one-two with substitute Aidomo Emakhu, whose return opened up the space in front.

Gaffney took advantage, striding into the box and sliding a neat side-foot finish into the far corner.

It was a genuine moment of class in the final third and would have stunned Hibernians all the more given that they missed a similar opportunity to half the deficit in the 62nd minute.

It was the one occasion they carved Rovers open, captain Jurgen Degrabriele passing from deep to send Thaylor through one-on-one. Someone who wants to be known by only one name really should have done better than scuff his effort off the outside of the post.

The pre-match talk from the Hibernians point of view centred around the grievances which stemmed from their last involvement in European action.

That also had a League of Ireland connection with the performance of referee Rob Hennessy in their Europa Conference League defeat to Riga causing major unhappiness — to put it mildly.

Hibs’ protestations led to a host of suspensions for this tie.

Manager Stefano Sanderra was serving a touchline ban, striker Jake Grech was also absent while first-choice defenders Fernandino Apap, Andreas Larsen and Andrei Agius were also unavailable due to the fallout.

If they were angry and determined to right some perceived wrongs they didn’t start with any kind of venom.

Indeed, it was only when Gaffney connected with Izquier Artiles in the face that they showed some fight.

Their players, understandably, expected referee Morten Krogh to show a red card.

rory-gaffney-with-dunstan-vella Rory Gaffney battles for possession. Evan Treacy / INPHO Evan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

The anger at the decision from the away side was felt in the stands where one visiting club representative fumed at the referee.

Stewards and police needed to calm the situation and, once it did, the final quarter of an hour was played out with relative ease.

Especially when Gaffney struck the third.

It means the return leg in Malta early next week should be a formality and will allow Hoops captain Ronan Finn to add to his 48 European appearances.

Progress into the second qualifying round of the Champions League would ensure at least two further rounds as there will be games in both the Europa League and Conference League to come as a fall back.

Finn is now only six shy of the League of Ireland record in Europe held by former goalkeeper Gary Rogers, and on this night his was his first goal in continental action that set Rovers on the way.

The right wing-back turned home from six yards after a superb ball across the box from Gaffney in the 25th minute.

Gaffney continued to torment the Hibs defence and five minutes before the break he drifted out to the left side again, receiving a pass from Finn and picking out Dylan Watts near the penalty spot.

All the Rovers midfielder had to do was use the pace on the cross to finish first time.

It was as simple as that.

There was a scare after the break when Hibs substitute striker Terence Groothusen rifled a long-range effort off the top of the bar in the 52nd minute.

There was a brief lull until Gaffney livened up proceedings.

He left his mark all over this first leg to put Rovers in a commanding position.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mannus; Hoare, Lopes, Grace; Finn (c) (Gannon 81), Watts (Towell 81), O’Neill, McCann, Lyons; Greene (Emakhu 67), Gaffney (Ferizaj 85).

HIBERNIANS: Kone; Grech (Caruana, 90), Llerna Bravo, Rodolfo Soares, Izquier Artiles, Zerafa (Fonseca, 90); Thaylor, Vella, Diakite, Mensah (Groothusen HT); Degabriele (c).

Referee: M Krogh (DEN).

Attendance: 7,019

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6 Comments
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    Mute Graham Murphy
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    May 18th 2015, 3:51 PM

    Norman Whiteside wasn’t 17 in 1985, unless he played in the 82 world cup when he was 14!

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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    May 18th 2015, 4:00 PM

    Cheers Graham,

    I obviously got Norman Whiteside and Freddy Adu mixed up!

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    Mute N O hUallaigh
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    May 18th 2015, 4:22 PM

    That 1970 match description is class.. “neutralised”

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    Mute Jon Walters
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    May 18th 2015, 4:29 PM

    Your a gas man, Will

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    Mute Manus Boyce
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    May 18th 2015, 3:46 PM

    Wouldn’t consider that tackle to be a straight red nowadays, probably borderline. Back then….not even close, yellow at worst

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    Mute Eamonn Maloney
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    May 18th 2015, 4:12 PM

    Miss timed is all it was.I remember watching that game and being shocked when he was sent off.Disagree that it was on any way cynical, there isn’t a cynical bone in Kevin Moran’s body.

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    Mute John O'Neill
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    May 19th 2015, 2:10 PM

    Yeah, definitely mis-timed. I blame Reid for having legs!

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    Mute Graham Kavanagh
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    May 18th 2015, 3:54 PM

    How times have changed…. You did not see Everton players swarm the ref demanding a red, Man U players were in shock….. Rightly so too, you saw these tackles every week and you got on with it…. Its a sending off and a media circus today, but back then it was, ummm football….. Tackles are expected, and was rarely ever cynical…….

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    Mute Dave Murray
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    May 18th 2015, 4:10 PM

    Spot on Graham, sure even Peter Reid protested to the ref on behalf on Moran…..very rare you will see that nowadays.

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    Mute John Fitzpatrick
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    May 18th 2015, 5:46 PM

    Peter Reid actually begged the referee not to send Moran off. Frank Stapleton reverted to emergency centre half and had a stormer. Peter Willis was the referee and it was his last ever match to officiate. He was looking to make a name for himself. Years later the F.A. Stopped referees officiating in their last ever match in the cup finals.

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    Mute Dave O'Hanlon
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    May 18th 2015, 6:33 PM

    ‘With United down to 10, Everton took them to extra-time’, shouldn’t that be United took Everton to extra-time as the Toffees were just crowned league champions you know.

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    Mute Spoddgy
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    May 19th 2015, 6:04 AM

    Also had more league titles than United! And had just won the cup winners cup beforehand!

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    Mute David Higginbotham
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    May 18th 2015, 6:52 PM

    Moran’s wasn’t allowed receive a winners medal that day either .

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    Mute Graham Ross
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    May 18th 2015, 4:39 PM

    Forget the tackle. He’d get 6 months now for pulling & dragging out of the ref in protesting his innocence! Although he didn’t quite get to Di Canio levels…

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    Mute Colm Kelly
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    May 18th 2015, 4:32 PM

    Unusually it was an intercept of Paul McGraths pass that led to Kevin having to make the lunge.

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    Mute Andrew Logue
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    May 18th 2015, 5:34 PM

    Suberb tackle won the ball cleanly. Football is being destroyed these days by cheating, diving and every second tackle being either a yellow or red. Games these days are often decided by which team has a player sent off its a complete joke

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    Mute Graham Kavanagh
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    May 18th 2015, 7:30 PM

    Lol, everyone had common sense comments today till that…. Thought we might have a good thread…..

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    Mute David Carino
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    May 18th 2015, 3:48 PM

    Badly timed don’t think tackles back then were cynical or malicious as they are today .

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    Mute dontletitslip
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    May 18th 2015, 5:34 PM

    A proper challenge that! :D

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    Mute Goldberg
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    May 18th 2015, 5:46 PM

    Big Ron would have referred to the tackle as a ‘reducer’

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    Mute Carlos Bandanas
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    May 18th 2015, 10:48 PM

    This may be an urban myth and I am well open to correction but is it true that the first person to be sent off in the FA Cup final (Kevin Moran) and the first player to be sent off in the Premier League (Niall Quinn) both went to the same school (Drimnagh castle)??

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    Mute mark
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    May 18th 2015, 9:53 PM

    If memory serves me, I was seven at the time, kevin Moran didnt get a winners medal on the day after his red card. He only received it after a campaign on his behalf.

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    Mute Mick Rooney (TIPM)
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    May 18th 2015, 11:53 PM

    Bit misleading. Why would you be considered the most cynical player in FA Cup Final history just because you were the first to be sent off in one? Moran was a tough ‘no prisoners’ player, but he was never cynical in his playing days.

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    Mute breandan
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    May 19th 2015, 3:35 AM

    If it was today Reid would be gone for simulation…

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    Mute Peter Clarke
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    May 19th 2015, 8:54 AM

    Most cynical ever? The writer obviously doesn’t remember Willie Young in 1980! Only a yellow too. I think that was the tackle that prompted the introduction of the straight red for a professional foul.

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    Mute Donal Ring
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    May 19th 2015, 6:09 PM

    Good article Will, still very few being sent off in big games- Lehmens in 06 CL final, Reyes in 05 FA cup final-can’t think of any others. A few in World cup finals- two Argentinians in 1990, Desailly, Heitinga

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