Conference League: Breidablik 3 (Margeirsson 35, Omarsson 74, Jonsson 90+2) Shamrock Rovers 1 (Burke 32)
Clinically punished for negligent defending, Shamrock Rovers’ hopes of making the knockout stages of this season’s Conference League ended on a night of frustration at a blustery Laugardalsvöllur in Reykjavik.
With just a point from their previous four games, a win in Iceland was the absolute necessity for Stephen Bradley’s side to keep tenuous hopes alive.
But Rovers couldn’t build on Graham Burke’s lead goal, despite plenty of positive possession, as Breiðablik took their chances when they arrived to keep their own qualification ambitions intact.
No repeat of last year’s knockout round for Rovers then ahead of completing their campaign against Maltese side Hamrun Spartans at Tallaght Stadium next Thursday with the only, if not inconsiderable, carrot now the €400,000 win bonus as they look to avoid finishing at the foot of the 36-team table.
RM Block
Without the injured Danny Mandroiu, Josh Honohan and Aaron McEneff, Bradley made two changes from their rousing, if losing, display against Ukrainian side Shakhtar last time out.
Darragh Nugent and striker John McGovern dropped to the bench as in-form schemer Burke returned while there was a somewhat surprising full European debut for 16-year-old Victor Ozhianvuna.
Bound for Arsenal in January 2027 in a recently announced €2 million transfer, Ozhianvuna, usually played as a winger, started in partnership with Burke in a more central role behind main striker Rory Gaffney.
With a vocal band of travelling Hoops fans easily heard in the sparse crowd, Rovers strove to stretch Breidablik from the start.
But it was a loose pass that presented Breidablik with the game’s first half-chance on five minutes, winger Aron Bjarnason close to taking advantage as he looked to race in behind Rovers’ captain Roberto Lopes with Rovers scrambling back to clear the danger.
Though they settled to enjoy decent passages of possession as they probed for openings, Rovers were lax at the back again on 13 minutes.
Andri Yeoman’s ball down the right found Agust Thorsteinsson. The striker cleverly flicked the ball over Lopes to give himself a run on goal. The finish didn’t match the good approach play as the shot was drilled wide across goal.
With Burke seeing plenty of the ball and using it well, Rovers worried Breidablik for the first time on 25 minutes. Danny Grant, picked out superbly by Burke, dinked a ball to the far post which had to be scrambled out for a corner as no Rovers shirt could make contact.
Home goalkeeper Anton Einarsson was then worked to deny Lee Grace in tipping over the defender’s header from a Dylan Watts free kick.
The positive signs would soon deliver as Rovers’ dominance told on 32 minutes when they deservedly took the lead.
It was a fine move from back to front, begun by Matt Healy deep in his own half.
The Corkman sent Gaffney galloping clear on the left to cross low into the area. Having got forward well in support, Healy took a touch to set up Burke. And the best player on the pitch got turned to rifle past Einarsson off his weaker right foot for a club record-extending 13th goal in Europe.
But having worked so hard to gain the lead, Rovers surrendered it infuriatingly cheaply when conceding an equaliser from a short corner within three minutes.
Failure to clear Oli Omarsson’s low cross at the near post was duly punished as central defender Viktor Margeirsson was on hand to blast home from close range.
Rovers started the second half very much on the front foot as Watts had a goalbound shot blocked while Gaffney then hit a post, if flagged offside.
Breidablik survived to trouble Rovers from a couple of corners, Burke happy to see the first from Bjarnason skim off his head and out for the second of them.
With further teenagers Max Kovalevskis and Michael Noonan on to boost their attack, Rovers pressed with intensity in the latter stages as they chased a winner.
Despite their ascendancy on the ball, though, Rovers were undone again by poor defending as Breidablik struck for the lead on 74 minutes.
Viktor Einarsson fed Omarsson on the right to cut inside Ozhianvuna all too easily and sweep a left-foot shot from the edge of the area past the dive of Ed McGinty and into the far corner.
There was further pain to endure as Breidablik added a third goal on the counterattack in the second minute of added time.
With goalkeeper McGinty up for a corner, there was nobody home as the Icelanders gained possession. Substitute Kristinn Johnson skipped clear to roll the ball into the empty net from just yards inside the Rovers half for a comical end to a despairing night for Rovers.
Breidablik: A. Einarsson; Yeoman (Hallsson 88), Muminovic, Margeirsson, Ingvarsson; V Einarsson (Steinforsson 90+5), A. Jonsson, Gunnlaugsson; Omarsson (Magnusson 90+5), Thorsteinsson (K. Jonsson 88), A. Bjarnason (Kristinsson 75).
Shamrock Rovers: McGinty; Cleary, Lopes, Grace (Kovalevskis 61); Grant (Noonan 68), Watts (Malley 83), Healy, O’Sullivan; Ozhianvuna (McGovern 83), Burke; Gaffney.
Referee: Enda Jorgji (Albania).
