More Champions League magic as Athlone Town defeat Croatians to progress
Athlone Town have qualified for the second round of the UEFA Women's Champions League after a swashbuckling first-half performance helped defeat Croatian champions ZNK Agram 3-0 in Lissywollen this afternoon.
The win, following on from Athlone's 4-0 defeat of Cardiff City in their opening game in the competition on Wednesday night, means Colin Fortune's side will now take on Breidablik of Iceland at the next qualifying stage on August 27.
After the relatively straightforward outing against Cardiff, Athlone were braced for a tougher test from the Zagreb visitors, but a dominant first-half performance ensured the outcome was never really in doubt.
Athlone's American maestro Madison Gibson delivered a player of the match performance on the big stage, and accomplished the remarkable feat of scoring twice directly from corner kicks!
Her opener came on eighteen minutes, when her inswinging corner at the carpark end of the pitch ended up in the back of the net - a touch from ZNK Agram 'keeper Nika Radolovic failing to keep it out.
Gibson then turned provider on 22 minutes, with a fine attacking run on the left side of the penalty area before cutting it back for midfielder Hannah Waesch who drilled a precise finish into the corner of the net, sparking jubilation among the almost-capacity home crowd.
Athlone had other big chances too, with Kelly Brady and Shauna Brennan both coming close, before Gibson repeated her party trick by scoring direct from a corner kick on the same side of the pitch once again.
That third goal, in first half injury time, made it a mammoth task for the Croatians, who had arrived in Athlone on Thursday and were staying in the Sheraton Hotel.
The visitors stepped up their performance in the second half, looking sharper and more threatening, but ultimately failed to find the goal that could have breathed some life into their comeback hopes.
It means Athlone Town are marching on in Europe, just five years after the club's women's team played their first-ever game.