Sligo held firm from the spot to reach the semi-finals

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Sligo Rovers will head to Tallaght to face Shamrock Rovers in the first of the FAI Cup semifinals this Sunday after beating Derry City at the Showgrounds.

Only one penalty shoot-out could separate the teams after two hours of football that failed to score.

Sligo missed one of his four penalties, but the misses by Conor McCormack and Walter Figueira left Ibrahim Meita with the pressure kick, which fired wide, as the hosts prevailed 3-1 from the points.

Despite the fact that his recent training regimen was affected by several cases of Covid since his last outing more than two weeks ago, it was the visitors who started this game more alive.

James Akintunde gave Ed McGinty his first test of the night in three minutes. McGinty kept Akintunde’s header after the forward got up to find a cross from Ciaran Coll.

This was also a slow-looking Sligo’s first game since their win over Dundalk at Oriel Park 16 days earlier.

A combination of McGinty and Ronan Coughlan showing enough to prevent Gerardo Bruno’s free kick from slamming down the front post in the 23rd minute as Liam Buckley’s men struggled to get to their feet.

City enjoyed the best of this first half, but could have been left behind with a suction cup blow at 33 when the Rovers seized their first opportunity.

The ball in disguise of the former Derry Junior ace brought Coughlan in, but City keeper Peter Cherrie opened wide to block Coughlan’s advance from the angle. While Garry Buckley’s well-hit volley from the resulting corner recalled Declan Devine’s charges of Sligo’s fire potential. The substitute center half narrowly shoots.

Sligo rejoices after sealing their way to Sunday’s semi-final

Despite spending the first 45 on their back foot, the hosts fabricated another opportunity to open the scoring early in the second period. But Alex Cooper, unmarked, failed to orient himself as he misjudged the flight of Coughlan’s blow to the back post of a Regan Donelon cross.

Another play by Bruno, this time from 25 yards, sent McGinty running again at 65. The ball narrowly passed the crossbar for the Ireland Under-21 international.

Akintunde was the next to approach 71, but he spent his weighted effort past the far post after sliding the ball over John Mahon as the powerful shooter made his way to the goal from the wing.

McGinty’s goal scoop continued to attract much of the attention as City let more opportunities slip by.

The rookie goalkeeper did well to deflect Stephen Mallon’s effort for a corner before Cameron McJannett smashed a header from close range off the crossbar from the resulting set piece.

Substitute Walter Figueira was only able to shoot McGinty directly shortly after his introduction. While McGinty lived up to anything Adam Hammill could throw at him in overtime after the winger fought his way through two challenges.

Sligo engineered the best chance of a hard-fought half hour of overtime when Junior looked like a favorite to shoot from a short distance from the corner. But several Derry bodies managed to block the head effort.

And so on the penalty shoot-out, where Figueira and Conor McCormack missed their shot, it meant that Ibrahim Meita had to score to keep his team in the tie. But the substitute could only drag his decisive shot out of Sligo’s goal.

Sligo rovers: Ed McGinty; Lewis Banks, John Mahon, Garry Buckley, Regan Donelon; David Cawley (Darragh Noone 85), Will Seymore; Alex Cooper, Jr.; Ronan Coughlan, Ryan De Vries (Danny Kane 90).

Derry city: Peter Cherrie; Colm Horgan, Eoin Toal, Cameron McJannet, Ciaran Coll; Stephen Mallon (Walter Figueira 80), Conor McCormack, Jack Malone (Ciaron Harkin 61), Adam Hamill (Conor Clifford 110); Gerardo Bruna (Joe Thomson 80), James Akintunde (Ibrahim Meite 87).

Referee: Neil Doyle



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