Hosts caught rapid as Hoops claim point in Vienna

Shamrock Rovers preserved their unbeaten run in the 2024-25 UEFA Conference League with a superb second half performance against Rapid Vienna. Johnny Kenny's 55th minute equaliser securing an unlikely 1-1 draw.

The result, coming against a side who had won their opening three games, surely leaves Rovers on the cusp of the knockouts with two games remaining in the league phase.

A point was a highly unlikely prospect at half-time, when even keeping the score at 1-0 would have seemed a reasonable achievement.

Playing in their away lilac strip, Rovers did have an early half-chance before the hosts settled into their groove. On a quick counter, Neil Farrugia picked up the ball in his own half and drove at the retreating defence, slipping a through ball for the run of Johnny Kenny. The striker was beyond the last defender but his second touch took him too far wide and his weak shot dribbled past the near post.

This was as good as it got for Rovers in the first half hour, and they were hemmed in on a more or less full-time basis for the next 30 minutes.

It took the hosts just under nine minutes to hit the front, and there were a couple of warnings before that.

After four minutes, some neat inter-play teed up Matthias Seidl, whose low drive from 25 yards rebounded off the far post. Two minutes later, Mamadou Sangare's dipping, perhaps deflected, shot from the edge of the box clanged off the crossbar, with the stranded Pohls a spectator.

Things looked ominous for Rovers at the point and, sure enough, Rapid were soon ahead in rapid order.

A corner was curled into the near post, Darragh Burns rose but his header only sent the ball looping into the air.

Raux Yao won the aerial tussle for the second ball, cushioning a header in the direction