AFTER Bohemians’ tame European exit last week in the Champions League, Shamrock Rovers kept the flag of Irish domestic football flying high with their 1-0 win away to Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv FC of Israel, setting up a mouthwatering tie with Juventus.
Tommy Stewart’s finish fired Rovers into dreamland as his secondhalf strike set up a clash with the Italian giants in the third round of the Europa League.
The Dublin side will play host to the Old Lady of Italian football this Thursday at the Tallaght Stadium with the return leg in Turin on August 5.
The Hoops soaked up plenty of pressure in the dead heat of Bnei Yehuda’s Bloomfield Stadium last Thursday night, but with 20 minutes left on the clock they struck as Stewart pounced on Stephen Rice’s long throw-in to secure a famous victory.
Manager Michael O’Neill admitted the triumph was a career highlight for himself, and said it was a magical night for the club.
“It’s huge,” he said. “Huge for the club and huge for the players to come out here and give a display like that. “We controlled the opening 20-25 minutes of the game, but I think Yehuda took control after that. The conditions were extreme to say the least but we knew we’d get a chance.
“We asked Tommy Stewart to play on the left and he worked unbelievably hard for us, we pushed him up front and he got us the reward with the goal.
“To a man they were brilliant, Alan Mannus had a brilliant game, Aidan Price — to be fair, they all did, every one of them, you couldn’t ask any more. Outstanding.”
They could have been ahead within the opening four minutes. Gary Twigg almost prised the Yehuda defence open with a ball for Stewart, before Craig Sives beat Nigerian goalkeeper Dele Aiyenugba to Enda Stevens’ cross, but Kfir Ediri hooked the ball behind.
Dan Murray rose highest to meet James Chambers’ corner, but with Aiyenugba beaten, the ball cannoned back off the bar and Yehuda scrambled it clear.
After surviving those initial scares, Bnei Yehuda assumed control of the ball but looked content to keep it rather than create many openings.
It took 26 minutes for Shamrock Rovers keeper Mannus to be called into action, the Hoops stopper brilliantly saving from Oz Ezra Hvratska after playmaker Liroy Zhariri had split the defence.
An injury to Stephen Rice allowed the visitors to take on water, and refreshed they regained their foothold in the game with Twigg having two chances to gain the advantage.
He first headed over a Chambers cross before the impressive Chris Turner sprung the Scot through the defence but Yehuda’s central defensive partnership of Ivan Garrido and Aviv Hadad recovered to snuff him out and Aiyenugba beat Stewart to the follow-up.
Level at the break, the Hoops had a scare early in the second half when Sinisa sprung the offside trap for Omri Hafike, but Stevens recovered to make an important intervention and Mannus saved from Yavruyan.
He then spectacularly turned over a rising drive from Sinisa Hvartska, but it was Rovers who, having soaked up the pressure, went in front. Yehuda couldn’t deal with the throw-in, Aidan Price got his head on the ball and with Garrido hesitant, Stewart struck.
The Israelis pressed, but could get no change out of the banks of hooped defenders. Billy Dennehy and Rice went close to a second, but in the end one was enough.
Manager O’Neill said of the coming tie against the two-time European champions: “It’s something wonderful for our fans and players to play against them at our home stadium and in Italy. Today, we knew to put pressure on at the right time and won this match in weather we are not really used to.We will try to do our best against Juventus too — and maybe the luck will be with us.”