Europa League Report: Cork City 1 - 1 KR Reykjavik

Cork City face an uphill battle next Thursday in Iceland as a result of tonight’s draw with KR Reykjavik in Turners Cross in front of 4,641 spectators.

The home side in Europe for the first time since 2008 had the perfect start to the game going ahead through Alan Bennett when the centre half, and captain for the night, headed in a Billy Dennehy free kick on 19 minutes.

However the home side could only keep the lead for five minutes as KR scored from a set piece, something that will annoy City manager John Caulfield as he had highlighted that area in the build up to the game as an area where the Icelandic team could prove dangerous. A Jacob Schoop corner to the back post found Oskar Hauksson and the full back was given space to power a header into the back of the net and silence the “Shed” end.

The sides went into the break level and try as they might they were unable to extend the lead. KR huffed and puffed towards the City goal but despite forcing a succession of corners they rarely had Mark McNulty at full stretch. City on the other hand showed increased energy especially with the introduction of Mark O’Sullivan up front and he had a strong penalty appeal denied by the referee soon after. With time nearly up Billy Dennehy had a free kick but his shot rose high into the stand and as a result there was an unsavoury scene between Mark O’Sullivan and Dennehy following the final whistle.

KR had the best of the chances in the opening ten minutes with Schoop going close to getting the opening but at the other end John O’Flynn layed the ball off to the Kevin O’Connor whose cross found Karl Sheppard but the former Shamrock Rovers player couldn’t get the shot on target.

However on 19 minutes the first goal arrived when Dennehy floated in a free kick from out near the halfway line and Bennett jumped highest to head the ball past the keeper into the net to give City the lead.

City could have doubled the lead on 23 minutes but Liam Miller saw his free kick from a dangerous area hit the wall and bounce away to safety.

The Icelandic team weathered that storm and equalised minutes later after winning a few corners Schoop found Hauksson and he smashed his header into the goal having been left unmarked inside the six yard box.

The Turners Cross ground was stunned into silence with the concession of the goal and nothing of note occurred for the remainder of the half.

The second half saw John Dunleavy introduced for the home side on the back of ten weeks out with injury and he made an immediate difference showing attacking prowess by running at the KR defence.

The crowd at this game had some famous faces with David Meyler, Roy Keane and Damien Delaney in attendance at the Cross while Rosenberg had a scout at the game as well showing that the Norwegian team are confident of progressing to the next stage of the competition.

City had a goal disallowed on 70 minutes when Karl Sheppard pushed the keeper over the line for a disallowed goal. The Shed end thought it was a harsh decision but the majority of the press box thought it was a perfectly fair decision.

The Icelandic team were relying on the counterattack now and had shots from Jonas Gudhi Saevarsson and Schoop but didn’t trouble McNulty.

On 80 minutes it appeared to everybody in the ground that O’Sullivan was bundled over by a KR defence but the referee waved play on, much to the crowd’s annoyance.

City kept pressing for a winner and had one final chance to get it in injury time but Dennehy’s free went high and over meaning City will have to score next week if they want to progress in Europe this season.

Cork City: Mark McNulty; Ross Gaynor (John Dunleavy 46), Alan Bennett, Darren Dennehy, Kevin O’Connor; Karl Sheppard, Liam Miller, Colin Healy (Dan Murray 65), Gary Buckley, Billy Dennehy; John O’Flynn (Mark O’Sullivan 58)

Subs Not Used:Gavan Holohan, Kevin O’Brien, Robert Lehane, Liam Kearney

Yellow Cards: Healy (53), O’Sullivan (82)

KR Reykjavik: Magnusson Stefan Logi; Rasmus Christiansen, Gonzala Balbi (Aron Bjarki 29), Skuli Jon, Gunnar Thor; Frederiksen Soren, Jonas Gudni, Palmi Rafn, Almar Ormarsson (Thorsteinn Mar 72), Jacob Schoop; Oskar Hauksson (Gary Martin 72)

Subs Not Used:Gretar Sigfinnur, Sindri Snaer, Kirstinn Johannes, Axel Sigurdarson

Yellow Cards:Hauksson (34), Bjarki (82), Rafn (86)

Referee:Mads-Kristoffer Kristoffersen

Attendance: 4,641

Extratime.ie Man of the Match:Mark O’Sullivan (Cork City)