More cup heartache for Dundalk
- seemed to be standing to them in extra time as Niclas Vemmelund’s bullet header broke the deadlock five minutes into the first period. The Dane’s goal looked as though it would be sufficient to settle the issue but Cork beat the offside trap to equalise eight minutes from the end.
Penalties it was then and poor Michael Duffy, who was arguably Dundalk’s best player on the day, was the unfortunate one to have his spot kick saved by the villain of the last few weeks Mark McNulty.
Everyone else slotted their penalties home as Cork retained the trophy and completed the double.
Stephen Kenny’s men deserved more for their efforts with the disappointment etched on the players faces at the end. This defeat will be hard to take but no doubt they will dust themselves down and come back stronger in 2018.
The international soccer team take over on centre stage this coming week when Martin O Neill’s side take on Denmark in the two leg World Cup play-off.
The first leg takes place on Saturday in Copenhagen with the return match in the Aviva the following Tuesday.
The Danes are a tasty outfit with lots of talent but they are beatable. Special attention must be given to their talisman and playmaker Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen but they are no world beaters.
Denmark finished second place in Group E five points adrift of Poland. If we can secure a draw in Copenhagen then I think we can eke out a 1-0 in Dublin.
Scoring goals is our main problem with no recognised goal poacher in the squad. Shane Long and Daryl Murphy will try their hardest but neither is a natural and consistent finisher.
Perhaps a man with Co Louth lineage could prove to be the match winner. Callum O Dowda could be hitting form at just the right time as he scored his first league goal of the season at the weekend to help Bristol City climb into the top four in the Championship.
Look out also for the Irish sounding Thomas Delaney who plays up front with the Danes. His great grandfather left Ireland for America during the famine but the family later relocated to Denmark.
Enquires were made during the Trapattoni era as to the Werder Bremen striker’s eligibility but he doesn’t even qualify under the granny rule.