Conference League playoffs live: Shelbourne dominating Linfield as Shamrock Rovers play Santa Clara

Linfield 0 Shelbourne 2 (Wood 23, Coote 30) (Shelbourne lead 5-1 on aggregate)

Linfield: Johns; McGee, Roscoe, Hall, East; McClean, Shields, Archer; Millar, Offord, McKee

Shelbourne: Speel; Gannon, Bone, Barrett, Norris; Coote, Lunney, McInroy; Mbeng, Mipo Odubeko, Wood

Shamrock Rovers 0 Santa Clara 0 (Shamrock Rovers lead 2-1 on aggregate)

Shamrock Rovers: McGinty; Cleary, Lopes (capt), Grace; Grant, Watts, Healy, Nugent, Honohan; Gaffney, Mandroiu.

Santa Clara: Gabriel Batista; Sidney Lima, Rocha, Matheus Nunes; Diogo Cabral, Serginho, Adriano, Paulo Victor; Brenner, Wendel Silva, Vinicius Lopes

63 mins: Graham Burke is on for Rovers for Nugent, with Noonan still in reserve on the bench too. Santa Clara make a couple of changes as well. Another booking for Santa Clara, Vinicius this time.

60 mins: Brilliant feet by Gaffney, gets around 4 or 5 players before Callila fouls Honohan just outside the box. Should have been a yellow you’d think but he gets away with it. Another dangerous free-kick, flicked on by Lopes just wide of the target. Need to take one of these chances though to take advantage of this spell of dominance.

Shamrock Rovers 0 Santa Clara 0

57 mins: Rocha picks up a yellow card as Mandroiu does him, dangerous free kick from near the sideline. Inviting ball by Watts but nobody can get a head on it.

Meanwhile, it’s still 2-0 to Shelbourne in Windsor Park, with 71 minutes gone. Better half from Linfield but can’t get a goal.

54 mins: Good pressing by Rovers, especially Mandroiu, they’ve rattled Santa Clara this half so far, positive football. Watts gave the ball away only 30 yards from his goal, but thankfully for Rovers, Santa Clara couldn’t make anything of it.

Shamrock Rovers 0 Santa Clara 0

Shamrock Rovers' Rory Gaffney and Rocha of Santa Clara. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

50 mins: Chance for Lopes, but penalised by the referee for handball. Watts free kick was dangerous and Lopes ended up blazing over in the box, but wouldn’t have counted.

48 mins: Positive start for Rovers as Gaffney holds the ball up well in the first minute and lays off to Mandroiu whose shot is deflected just wide. The corner causes chaos but nobody can get a solid contact on it. More than 8,000 at the game tonight, it was announced on commentary.

Shamrock Rovers 0 Santa Clara 0

“You’re f***ing s**t” chant the Shelbourne fans as Shels nearly score another goal, good delivery by McInroy to Barrett who hits the post with his header. 59 minutes gone there.

Second half is under way in the Shamrock Rovers game.

The second half is under way in Windsor Park, only very unusual circumstances will stop Shelbourne going through but still need to see it out.

Half-time: Shamrock Rovers 0 Santa Clara 0

A big second half ahead in Tallaght. Can two Irish teams qualify for the group stages of the Conference League?

43 mins: A tense sort of atmosphere in Tallaght, Rovers would love a goal to ease it. But it’s been an even game so far, nothing to particularly fear. Serginho the danger man for the Azores side.

Shamrock Rovers 0 Santa Clara 0

36 mins: Off the crossbar! Josh Honohan shows why he’s been called up to some Ireland squads as he dribbles on the edge of the box, right to left, and then smashes a great off the post. So close for Rovers.

Shamrock Rovers 0 Santa Clara 0

33 mins: Some sustained pressure by Santa Clara goal on the Rovers goals, but they throw bodies on the line to block and clear the ball.

Shamrock Rovers 0 Santa Clara 0

Meanwhile it’s half-time at Windsor Park

Linfield 0 Shelbourne 2 (1-5 on aggregate)

Shels a class above the Northern Irish side so far, with Wood, Mipo and Coote showing their class. Cruising through.

With Shelbourne four ahead on aggregate, will focus more on the Rovers game from now on.

25 mins: Bit of a lull in Tallaght but it won’t worry Rovers too much as they hold a 2-1 advantage. McGinty has to make a good save from Vinicius to smother the ball, but was offside anyway.

Shamrock Rovers 0 Santa Clara 0

Shamrock Rovers' Danny Mandroiu and Vinícius Lopes of Santa Clara. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

30 mins: GOAL FOR SHELBOURNE! Ali Coote continues his wonderful games so far, cross goes to Mipo in the box, who lays it off cleverly to Coote who curls it into the corner from just inside the box. 5-1 on aggregate, should be game over. Shelbourne fans are ecstatic in the stands!

Linfield 0 Shelbourne 2

Ali Coote makes it 2-0 on the night! 🔴

Another fine @shelsfc move which is finished off by the Scotsman this time 🙌 pic.twitter.com/u2CYHTG6PI — Premier Sports Ireland (@PremSportsIRL) August 28, 2025

28 mins: Chance for Linfield as Millar can’t get a good contact on a dangerous cross.

Linfield 0 Shelbourne 1

14 mins: Rovers are competing well with Santa Clara, although a dangerous moment from a short corner and Serginho smashed a low shot that could have went in the corner but good block by Mandroiu.

Shamrock Rovers 0 Santa Clara 0

23 mins: GOAL FOR SHELBOURNE! Harry Wood with the big moment again. Ali Coote with a nice turn then perfect precision lofted through ball to Wood who sidefoots volleys it into the corner. Superb goal. 4-1 on aggregate.

Linfield 0 Shelbourne 1

Harry Wood has done it again! 👏

Outstanding volley by the @shelsfc star to open the scoring at Windsor Park 🔴 pic.twitter.com/w4P68fH9OG — Premier Sports Ireland (@PremSportsIRL) August 28, 2025

20 mins: Mipo gets through for Shels one on one and tries to lob the keeper and hits the post, but would have been ruled out for offside anyway.

Linfield 0 Shelbourne 0

5 mins: Nugent almost gets in behind after a long ball by Lopes, but Portuguese side dominating possession so far.

Shamrock Rovers 0 Santa Clara 0

14 mins: Speel receives treatment as Offord clashes with him after speeding past Barrett but left a leg in and collided with him.

Shamrock Rovers are under way in Tallaght.

8 mins: Some early possession for Shelbourne, being patient, the onus is on Linfield behind to take the game to Shels.

Better interplay by Linfield but a poor cross and then they give away the ball. Coote runs down the wing and his cross is blocked out for a corner. Nothing comes from it but a solid start to the game.

Shelbourne are under way at Windsor Park, solid following for the Drumcondra side in Belfast.

2 mins: Bit of chaos in the box for Shels as Miller delivers a free-kick into the box, rebounds off Mbeng and Gannon has to make a great block to stop a chance.

The full teams in the two games:

Linfield: Johns; McGee, Roscoe, Hall, East; McClean, Shields, Archer; Millar, Offord, McKee

Shelbourne: Speel; Gannon, Bone, Barrett, Norris; Coote, Lunney, McInroy; Mbeng, Mipo Odubeko, Wood

Shamrock Rovers: McGinty; Cleary, Lopes (capt), Grace; Grant, Watts, Healy, Nugent, Honohan; Gaffney, Mandroiu.

Santa Clara: Gabriel Batista; Sidney Lima, Rocha, Matheus Nunes; Diogo Cabral, Serginho, Adriano, Paulo Victor; Brenner, Wendel Silva, Vinicius Lopes

The Shamrock Rovers team to play Santa Clara:

🟢 TEAM NEWS 🟢

Your Hoops XI to face Santa Clara this evening 👊🏼☘️#RoversInEurope 🟢 || @sharp_security pic.twitter.com/oCSumAiCg6 — Shamrock Rovers FC (@ShamrockRovers) August 28, 2025

The Shelbourne team for tonight:

𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐗𝐈 🔴⚪️

Here’s your XI to face Linfield tonight.

Two changes from the first leg, Sean Gannon and Ali Coote come into the side.

Kick-off at 7:45pm, follow the action live on @PremSportsTV #DublinsFinest | #Since1895 pic.twitter.com/v4jtUsrVZO — Shelbourne FC 🏆 (@shelsfc) August 28, 2025

Here are Gavin Cummiskey’s match previews:

[ Shamrock Rovers on brink of European milestone ahead of Santa Clara clash in TallaghtOpens in new window ]

[ Shelbourne could stumble if Linfield drag this second leg playoff all the way to penaltiesOpens in new window ]

Shamrock Rovers' Danny Grant. Photograph: Tom O’Hanlon/Inpho

Some sad news for Irish football this afternoon as Ollie Horgan passed away.

[ ‘Proper football man’: Former Finn Harps manager Ollie Horgan dies aged 57Opens in new window ]

Hello and welcome to live coverage of a big night for League of Ireland football, and a chance for the league to have two clubs in the league stage of a European competition for the first time in their history. First up it’s Shelbourne against Linfield, Shels go to the intimidating Windsor Park with a 3-1 advantage from the first leg. Shelbourne are looking to make the Conference League proper for the first time. That kicks off at 7.45pm.

Shamrock Rovers are more experienced at this level, having enjoyed a run to the knockout stages last year, and they face a tougher prospect in Santa Clara, from the Portuguese league. They pulled off a famous 2-1 win in the Azores in the first leg, but we have seen Irish clubs overhauled in second legs before so Stephen Bradley’s men will be wary of that in Tallaght. Kick-off there is at 8pm, so there’s a nice bit of overlap between the two games, but enough to gather your thoughts! Should be a fun evening.

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