Seanie Maguire's golden goal gives Cork City away win against Linfield
Seanie Maguire was Cork City’s golden goal hero with a 63rd minute penalty to give the Leesiders a massive away win in their Europa League, first qualifying tie with Linfield at a wet and overcast Windsor Park in Belfast tonight,
In a very open and attacking game both teams had good chances to gain an edge before next week’s return back at Turner’s Cross with the winners off to play Swedish side, BK Hacken in Gothenburg on July 14.
The Irish U-21 star from Kilkenny was the hero as he sent Linfield debutant Roy Carroll the wrong way from 12 yards after Stephen Dooley was brought down in the box by Stephen Lowry.
Cork made two changes from the drawn game with Shamrock Rovers with Garry Buckley and Karl Sheppard coming back from injury to start to the exclusion of young Conor McCarthy at right back and Gavan Holohan in midfield.
City started well with Stephen Dooley shooting into the side netting and both Kenny Browne and Steven Beattie had shots blocked away by the home defence.
But mid-way through the half, Linfield were desperately close to a goal when Mark McNulty, in his 100th consecutive match, flipped Alan Bennett’s back header over his own crossbar and then the Blues’ young striker and man of the match Paul Smith headed over from in front of goal after 23 minutes.
Gearoid Morrissey had a 20 yard curler go wide of Carroll’s far post but it was the Belfast Blues who had the better goal chances with the corner count reading 4-4 at the interval.
Greg Bolger, the City skipper on the night, was booked on 32 minutes for a second foul on the impressive Smith.
Cork’s travelling fans gave the Leesiders great vocal support throughout but they knew their heroes could well have been a goal or two down at the break.
Maguire changed all that with his ninth goal of the season and Kenny Browne and Kevin O’Connor were close to late goals as well as John Caulfield’s charges take that one goal advantage into next week’s return leg in Cork.
Teams:
Linfield (4-4-1-1) - Carroll; Quinn, Stafford, Haughey, Glendinning; Millar, Lowry, Mulgrew, Gaynor; Smith; Waterworth (capt).
Subs. Kee for Mulgrew (56 mins), Burns for Smith (76 mins), R. Clarke for Millar (84 mins), McLellan, M. Clarke, Murray & Deane (not used)
Cork City (4-2-3-1) - McNulty; Beattie, Bennett, Browne, O’Connor; Bolger (capt), G. Morrissey; Sheppard, Buckley, Dooley; Maguire.
Subs. D. Morrissey for Sheppard (half-time), O’Sullivan for Buckley (60 mins), Healy for Maguire (89 mins), Holohan, McSweeney, Turner & Coffey (not used)
Referee: Bert Vertenten (Belgium)
Official attendance: 2,093.
