Women’s Champions League second qualifying round: Breidablik 3 (Smith 47, 76; Thorvaldsdóttir 77) Athlone Town 1 (Groves 59)
Athlone Town’s hopes of progressing further in to the qualifying phase of the Champions League were ended by Iceland’s Breidablik in the Netherlands on Wednesday afternoon, a 3-1 defeat in the second qualifying round of the competition leaving them to now aim for a place in the inaugural Europa Cup.
It was, though, a fine effort by Colin Fortune’s side against the 19-time Icelandic champions, Athlone having the better of the opening exchanges and coming closest to scoring, first through Roisin Molloy and then Kelly Brady.
Molloy’s effort from Madie Gibson’s superb left-wing cross was saved by Breidablik goalkeeper Katherine Devine, before Brady came closer still when she hit the left post with a shot from the edge of the box. And soon after Athlone captain Izzy Groves should have done better with her header from a Gibson corner, directing it wide and right.
Breidablik began to get a foothold in the game though, Agla Albertsdóttir just wide with a long range effort before Berglind Thorvaldsdóttir’s half volley went inches over the bar. Athlone responded with a fine move involving the ever influential Gibson and Molloy, Molloy’s shot hitting the hand of a Breidablik defender, but the referee waved played on.
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Breidablik forced a string of corners towards the end of the half, Megan Plaschko doing especially well when she cleared one wicked dipping effort, but errors from both goalkeepers early in the second half saw the deadlock broken.
First, Plaschko dropped Albertsdóttir’s corner from the right, leaving a simple tap-in for Samantha Smith, and 10 minutes later Plaschko’s fellow American Devine flapped at a Gibson corner, allowing it to float over her head, Groves getting the final touch on the line. 1-1.
But with Athlone tiring, the game was settled with two Breidablik goals in a minute. The first when Smith expertly volleyed home a cross from the right in the 76th minute, the second coming from former Paris Saint-Germain striker Berglind Thorvaldsdóttir when she sent a shot from 20 yards in to the top left corner.
Molloy came close to pulling a goal back six minutes from time, but Athlone had little left in the tank by then, Breidablik comfortably seeing the game out.
While that’s the end of their Champions League odyssey, Athlone can still qualify for the second tier Europa Cup. They play Crvena Zvezda (aka Red Star Belgrade) on Saturday, with a victory required to send them in to the final qualifying round for that competition.
ATHLONE: Plaschko, K Brennan, Shine, McNally, Rice (S Brennan, 87), Molloy, Groves (Slevin, 67), Waesch, Strickland (H Donegan, 87), Brady, Gibson.
Referee: Anastasia Mylopoulou (Greece).
