Michael Noonan makes history as Shamrock Rovers defeat 10-man Molde

Shamrock Rovers recorded another famous European victory against Norwegian side Molde, as16-year-old Michael Noonan created history with a debut goal.

The Hoops secured the advantage going into their UEFA Conference League knockout phase second leg in Tallaght Stadium next week as 10-man Molde were left stunned by the 1-0 defeat.

Noonan becomes the youngest goalscorer in the history of European competition, beating Romelu Lukaku who previously held the record.

Valdemar Lund was sent off in the first half for bringing down Noonan in the major turning point in the game.

The teenager was handed a starting role for his debut for the Hoops, lining up in attack alongside makeshift front man Danny Mandriou.

The game started with a feeling of a pre-season fixture, which perhaps shouldn't have come as a major surprise given both sides have yet to play a league game.

Molde were on top with a comfortable save for McGinty from Kristian Eriksen their only threat at goal.

Magnus Wolff Eikrem’s shot over the crossbar was a worry for the visitors.

But the game changed when, on a Shamrock Rovers breakaway, Noonan made a clever run and just had Valdemar Lund to beat to race towards goal.

Lund opted to jump into a tackle and took out the teenager, leading to a red card.

Before half-time a deflected effort from Mandriou summed up their growing dominance while Daniel Cleary’s knockdown for Roberto Lopes' shot was just wide in their best chance of the 45 minutes.

Outside of the red card, there was little to report overall, although Noonan certainly made an impression with his level of performance.

Another debutant, Matt Healy, saw his effort outside the box go wide early in the second half with the Dublin side looking for a deserved breakthrough.

It came