Tallaght victory not enough to see Shamrock Rovers past Ararat-Armenia

Champions League second-round qualifier, second leg: Shamrock Rovers 2 (Healy 12, Greene 37) Ararat-Armenia 1 (Lima 74) – Ararat win 3-2 on aggregateThe Ararat-Armenia players sunk to their knees at the full-time whistle. To a man, exhausted, they barely survived a sustained onslaught from Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght stadium. It needed a special moment, conjured by Ararat’s Brazilian contingent, as Carlos Franca came off the bench to find Sandro Lima for the goal that sent Rovers out of the Champions League and into the Europa League qualifiers, where they will play Albania’s Egnatia, the first leg of which will be played in Tallaght next Tuesday.Rovers will have some regrets having dominated the game. Pico Lopes is playing with the authority that comes from holding your own against Spain and Argentina at the World Cup, but the night was made for Jack Byrne. The Republic of Ireland international pushed the tempo from the off with probing balls for Aaron Greene and Graham Burke to pursue.Jake Mulraney began well until a lapse in concentration off a Byrne corner almost resulted in an early goal for Lima. The big South American was a toenail shy of finishing Zidane Banjaqui’s cross to the far post. READ MORERovers survived the early scare and proceeded to control matters before Matt Healy’s brilliant strike on 12 minutes. Byrne’s fingerprints were all over an attack down the right that appeared to fizzle out until Burke and Greene combined to find Healy, who made a clean connection from outside the box.UEFA Champions League Second Qualifying Round Second Leg, Tallaght Stadium, Dublin 28/7/2026 Shamrock Rovers vs Ararat Armenia Shamrock Rovers' Matthew Healy celebrates scoring his sides first goal Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne A crowd of 6,731 had to hold their breath for almost five minutes before video-assistant referee Michael Salisbury decided Greene was onside.The game had its shape now. Byrne, Burke and Mulraney kept finding each other, as Dylan Watts and Adam Brennan joined Greene in a crowded Ararat area. Brennan should have made it 2-0 after 32 minutes but the teenager headed wide from Mulraney’s bouncing cross.Ararat were hemmed in. The pressure told when Byrne pounced on a breakdown in communication between Bruno Wilson and goalkeeper Joao Bravim to calmly avoid the retreating pair and tee up Greene for a tap in.Now all Rovers had to do was finish the job.Inevitably, Ararat abandoned their low-block and began to ask questions. “Get up! Get up!” screamed Wilson at his fellow defenders.At 2-2 on aggregate, the contest found a fresh intensity. Rovers kept searching for a third goal before half-time as Watts slipped Greene through only for an outstanding block by Junior Bueno.Oddly, Byrne let Mulraney strike a tame free-kick on the stroke of half-time after a high challenge on Healy. Both Byrne and Rovers manager Stephen Bradley spent the next 30 seconds geeing up Mulraney after his mixed performance.UEFA Champions League Second Qualifying Round Second Leg, Tallaght Stadium, Dublin 28/7/2026 Shamrock Rovers vs Ararat Armenia Shamrock Rovers' Dylan Watts and Hugo Oliveira of Ararat Armenia Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne A few cracks began to appear in the visitors’ game when Bueno was yellow carded for clattering Brennan seconds after the Colombian accidentally put the ball out of play. From the next attack, Bueno fouled Brennan again to force a good save from Bravim as Lopes got his head to Byrne’s inswinging free-kick. Mulraney and Brennan temporarily switched wings as Rovers started going down the left, where Byrne also appeared, with the crowd hoping the Armenians would run out of steam. Brennan began to impress, creating goals chances for Greene, who shot first-time into the side netting, while Burke’s effort was straight at Bravim.Reinforcements were needed. Ararat’s Portuguese manager Tulipa acted first, introducing Franca. The striker immediately set up the winner for his fellow Brazilian. Byrne then sprang to life with a curling effort drawing another acrobatic save from Bravim.Jonathan Afolbai, Naj Razi, Michael Noonan and a fit-again Danny Mandroiu arrived for a grandstand finish that included Brennan and Burke tip-tapping their way through five Ararat defenders only for Watts’s shot to be blocked by Hugo Oliveira. From the resulting corner Lopes and Enda Stevens clashed going for a free header.With that, another famous victory in Tallaght slipped from Rovers’ grasp. They’ll come again next Tuesday. SHAMROCK ROVERS: McGinty; Sobowale; Lopes, Grace (Mandroiu 84); Mulraney (Stevens 77), Byrne, Healy, Watts (Razi 85), Brennan; Burke (Noonan 88); Greene (Afolabi 77).ARARAT: Bravim; Bueno, Wilson, Malis; Oliveira (Ndour 93), Carlier (Ayvazyan 85), Muradyan, Grigoryan; Serobyan (Franca 72), Lima (Felipe 93), Banjaqui (Shaghoyan 85).Referee: S Barrott (England).