Irish in Europe
A bitter sweet matchday in Belgium for Gavin Bazunu as Standard Liège beat defending champions Club Brugge on their home turf 2-1. Gavin made 5 saves but had to leave the field via stretcher which is never a good look. Thankfully it looks like he will be back between the sticks for the next gameweek, a bit beaten up but not defeated!
Sticking in the Benelux region, Troy Parrott and AZ Alkmaar backed up their impressive performances versus Galatasaray in Europe with a 1-0 home win to Fortuna Sittard. The win leaves them in 4th and tied on points with 3rd placed Feyenoord and 5th placed Utrecht. All to play for with eleven matches remaining because finishing 3rd or 5th is the difference between Champions league and Conference league football for next season.
Anselmo Garcia MacNulty played 90 minutes in Zwolle’s 1-1 stalemate with Heerenveen as they pulled away from the relegation zone.
More bad news out of France after Andrew Omaobamidele’s injury news last week. Nine man Stade de Reims made it four league losses on the bounce, as they continued to plummet towards the drop zone. Here’s hoping John Joe Patrick Finn can reclaim his starting spot and turn the club’s fortunes around at the business end of the season.
Over in Portugal, Olamide Shodipo got his first goal of the season for promotion chasing C.D. Feirense. He made the most of his 5 minute cameo by scoring the third in a 3-1 win for the hosts against 10 men Oliveirense. Their fourth league win on the bounce leaves them four points off automatic promotion. They are seeking a return to the top tier of Portuguese football in what is their sixth season in the 2nd tier. Hopefully Shodipo can continue to play his part.
In Slovenia, Ali Reghba made his third consecutive appearance for Maribor. He is yet to make a start for his new club since his transfer from Macedonian side FK Rabotnički. The ex-Bohs player did get the full second half in a 2-0 win over Mura. Hopefully a starting-berth is around the corner!
Irish further afield
Crossing continents, Carl McHugh played a steady 90 minutes as Goa FC secured a vital 2-0 home win versus Kerala Blasters. The win means they have mathematically secured 2nd and in doing so, secured a semi final spot in the Indian Super League play offs. The Donegal native is now only three games away from replicating his 2023 success and picking up another ISL winner’s medal.
Down under, Jay O’Shea picked up his sixth goal contribution of the season as he scored Brisbane Roar’s only goal in a 3-1 loss against Newcastle Jets.
It was the opening weekend of action in the MLS. Kevin Long’s Toronto FC played out an entertaining 2-2 draw with DC United in the capital. The ex-Burnley man had a tough battle with Christian Benteke but played his part with five clearances and two interceptions over the 90 minutes. Derrick Williams, Atlanta United, and Jon Gallagher, Austin FC, made brief cameos in 3-2 and 1-0 victories over CF Montreal and Sporting KC respectively.