Sadou Diallo goal seals Derry City progress in Europe for the first time since 2014!

Europa Conference League First Qualifying Round

Derry City 1

HB Torshavn 0

Sadou Diallo’s first goal of the season sent Derry City through a round in Europe for the first time in nine years

The midfielder’s header on 23 minutes proved to be enough for the Candystripes, who were well on top throughout and could easily have won by more.

The win means that Derry City will face Finnish side KuPs in the Second Qualifying Round next week with the first leg to take place at the Brandywell next Thursday.

The only goal of the game came on 23 minutes when Michael Duffy’s corner found Sadou Diallo, whose downward header beat Mort to open the scoring.

Torshavn attempted to muster some response to that, but the best they could do was a shot from Hanus Sorenson from 20 yards which curled wide without troubling Brian Maher.

It should have been 2-0 right on the stroke of half time, with Torshavn again caught out from a Duffy corner, but an unmarked McJannet somehow headed wide from six yards.

A second goal would have almost certainly sealed City’s progress to the next round, and Ben Doherty almost provided it in spectacular fashion 10 minutes into the second half, with a bullet effort from 25 yards which flashed just wide of the target with Mort beaten.

The Torshavn goalkeeper then came to his team’s rescue when Connolly’s ball forward was taken into his stride brilliantly by McGonigle, but his effort was crucially stopped by Mork.

City needed the second goal, and they had a warning finally on 67 minutes when the ball fell kindly for Dan I Soylu 12 yards from goal but he drilled a shot straight at Maher.

The visitors had finally decided to make a game of it late on and Maher produced a vital block when he charged down Justinussen’s effort after a clever pass from Jonsson.

But it was too little, too late from Torshavn, and it is Derry City who go on to the next round and a trip to Europe in a few weeks' time. 

Teams

DERRY CITY: Maher, Boyce, Connolly, McJannet, Dummigan, Doherty, Diallo, Patching (P McEleney 66’), McMullan (B Kavanagh 83’), Duffy, McGonigle (Mullen 77’).

HB Torshavn: Mork, Davidsen, Askham, Sorenson (Dahl 89’), Justinussen, I Soylu (Praest 83’), Samuelson (Mohr 71’), Borchers, Wardum, Berger Hansen 71’), Jonsson.

REFEREE: Tomas Klima (CZE)