For the third time in six years, David Healy has led Linfield to the play-off round in Europe. The Blues successfully overturned a 2-1 deficit against Faroese champions Vikingur with a 2-0 win at Windsor Park last night, progressing through Q3 of the UEFA Conference League with a 3-2 aggregate victory.
David Healy kept the same team that defeated Dungannon Swifts 3-0 in the opening match of the Sports Direct Premiership campaign on Sunday past, meaning there were two changes from the Linfield team that lost 2-1 in the first leg in Torshavn, as Charlie Allen and Kyle McClean replaced Ethan McGee and Jamie Mulgrew in the line-up.
Euan East, Dane McCullough, Alex Gorrin, Cameron Ballantyne, Jamie Mulgrew and Robbie McDaid all remain unavailable through injury. New forward player Matt Yates was not registered in time to be available for selection.
The Linfield team was an attacking one on paper, and the Blues went close after six minutes when a defender slipped which let Matthew Fitzpatrick in down the left side. The forward shot across goal in search of the far corner, but the goalkeeper was able to dive down to his left to push it away from goal.
The visitors then gave the Blues a few scares inside the opening 20 minutes. Firstly, the pacey Jakup Johansen beat Ben Hall for pace on the break before his shot from a tight angle was saved by Chris Johns.
Soon after, Johansen broke down the left again before the ball was eventually worked to full-back Ari Olsen in a dangerous position on the edge of the Linfield box, and his shot was brilliantly blocked by Sam Roscoe. It could well have been destined for the net, and it was a key moment in the match and the tie.
Johansen went close again after a great piece of skill to turn Ben Hall on the halfway-line. The forward played a one-two Arngrimsson before flashing a low shot past the far post from 12 yards.
Despite their early frights, it was Linfield who drew first blood. The Blues took the lead after 22 minutes with a wonderful individual goal. Josh Archer played the ball into Kieran Offord 35 yards from goal. The Scottish forward spun away from Solvi Vatnhamar before nutmegging Arnbjorn Svensson just outside the box, then he unleashed an unstoppable drive into the roof of the net to continue his great form, following on from his hat-trick against Dungannon at the weekend and his goal in the previous round from a similar position against Zalgiris Vilnius.
The Blues went in search of a second goal and were denied by the woodwork twice within the space of a minute. Kyle McClean led a Linfield break before finding wing-back Charlie Allen to his left, and he cut inside onto his stronger right foot before seeing his low shot deflected off a defender and onto the post. Vikingur scrambled the ball out for a corner and it was half-cleared before Offord got the ball outside the box and was very unfortunate not to replicate the goal he scored five minutes prior as the ball cannoned off the underside of the crossbar. The only difference was that this strike was with his left foot. VAR took a look at it to see if it had crossed the line, but it hadn’t.
Josh Archer was next to go close following a neat move. Sam Roscoe slid a precise pass down the channel to set Charlie Allen off in behind the opposite full-back and he got into the box before pulling the ball back to Archer on the edge, but his low strike was crucially blocked in front of goal.
The second goal that Linfield were probing for finally arrived on 34 minutes, albeit rather fortuitously. Matthew Fitzpatrick hooked the ball over his head and over the top of the visitors’ backline to release Offord through on goal, but the flying Scotsman was denied when he tried to clip the ball over the ‘keeper. However, the ball rebounded into a central area of the box where Fitzpatrick contested with a defender, and the strength of the forward appeared to force defender Ari Olsen into the mistake of turning the ball into his own net. From being the beneficiaries of an own goal in the first leg, the Faroese champions were now on the wrong end of one, and it will have been a tough blow for Olsen who was earlier denied by a brilliant goal-saving block by Roscoe.
The own goal put Linfield 2-0 ahead on the night and 3-2 ahead on aggregate, but the visitors almost found a timely aggregate equaliser two minutes before the break as a deep free-kick was headed across the box and a slip from Shields allowed lively forward Johansen in, but Chris Johns made a great save. The Blues were unable to get the ball out and it was pulled back from the right into a central position inside the box from where Poul Kallsberg rattled the crossbar with a strike.
In three additional minutes at the end of the first half, Linfield threatened twice. Charlie Allen pulled a low left-footed strike across goal towards the far corner but it was well saved. Kieran Offord got another sweet strike off from the edge of the box, but fortunately for the goalkeeper, it was central.
HT: LINFIELD 2-0 VIKINGUR
The Blues did not perform to their full capabilities in the second half, with manager David Healy stating that he believed having three matches in seven days, plus the concomitant training and travelling involved, was a factor in a ‘fatigued’ second-half display.
Whilst there was perhaps an edginess to the match in the second half, the Linfield goalkeeper was rarely worked. However, the 64th minute was one such occasion where Chris Johns was called into action. A free-kick was clipped in from the left and it found Arnbjorn Svensson unmarked at the back post as the defender slid in to prod an effort at goal, but Johns saved brilliantly down low to his left. The Linfield ‘keeper took a clattering to the head from Ingi Arngrimsson in the aftermath, with the defender booked as a result. Linfield staff took no chances as Chris Johns was withdrawn and replaced by David Walsh. Ethan McGee also came on in place of Matthew Orr who was struggling with a knock.
Ben Hall almost wrapped things up for the Blues with a good effort as he pulled off a bicycle kick after Vikingur were unable to clear Kirk Millar’s corner delivery, but the ball went just over. Offord also went close again, denied what would have been another brilliant goal by a superb save as his fierce effort from a tight angle was tipped over by the goalkeeper when it looked destined for the top corner.
Although Linfield ‘keeper David Walsh was untested in his time on the pitch, the Faroese champions did give the Blues one scare with eight minutes remaining as a scramble inside the box led to Ingi Jonhardsson taking the ball down on his chest before whistling a clean strike not far wide of the far corner. Despite not being at their best, the Blues saw the game out fairly comfortably.
And so, as fate has it, for the second time in this European campaign, and the second time within six weeks, Linfield and League of Ireland champions Shelbourne will battle again, this time in the play-off round of the UEFA Conference League, as Shels have since been knocked out of the Champions League by Qarabag and knocked out of the Europa League by Croatian champions Rijeka.
From being gallant losers on away goals against Qarabag in 2019, to the most heartbreaking twist of fate against RFS in 2022, will this be a case of third time lucky for Linfield? Can the Blues experience delight against the Dubliners? Only time will tell. The first leg takes place at Tolka Park is provisionally set for next Thursday 21 August, with the return leg set for Windsor Park the following week. Fuller details regarding the scheduling and ticket arrangements will be communicated in due course.
FT: LINFIELD 2-0 VIKINGUR
LINFIELD: Chris Johns (GK) (David Walsh 67’), Matthew Orr (Ethan McGee 67’), Ben Hall, Sam Roscoe, Charlie Allen (Sean Brown 82’), Josh Archer, Chris Shields ©, Kyle McClean, Kirk Millar, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Kieran Offord (Chris McKee 86’)
Subs: Daragh Rooney (GK), Scot Whiteside, Ryan McKay, Callumn Morrison, Rhys Annett
VIKINGUR: Bardur a Reynatrod (GK), Atli Gregersen ©, Arnbjorn Svensson, Ari Olsen, Ingi Arngrimsson (Arnor Brandsson 88’), Aron Ellingsgaard (Stefan Radosavlevic 72’), Arni Noa Atlason (Rani Hansen 88’), Poul Kallsberg, Ingi Jonhardsson, Jakup Johansen (Jorgen Nielsen 72’), Solvi Vatnhamar
Subs: Hans Jakup Armgrimsson, Ragnar Skala, Pall Eirik Djurhuus, Jakup Martin Jarnskor, Bjorn Bjarkhamar, Josef Olavsson, Martin Klein Joensen
Yellow cards: Ari Olsen, Aron Ellingsgaard, Ingi Arngrimsson (Vikingur)
Referee: Marek Radina (CZE)
VAR: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE)