City stung as Maguire bows out
CORK CITY’S Euro dream is hanging by a thread after they suffered a first defeat in 26 matches after losing out to AEK Larnaca in last night’s tense and highly competitive Europa League qualifier at Turner’s Cross. In front of a crowd of 6,441 at Turners Cross City were undone in the 69th minute with a goal against the run of play when Joan Truyois poked the ball home in a crowded goalmouth from a corner by Dutchman Hector Hevel. City were in unfamiliar territory as the underdogs going into the tie but AEK’s one goal advantage gives them a huge boost going into next Thursday’s return leg at the AEK Arena in Cyprus. It was the last home game for Sean Maguire and Kevin O’Connor — both are available for the trip to face Bray Wanderers on Sunday and the return leg back in Larnaca and they were watched by new Preston boss Alex Neil last night. City made two changes from Sunday’s win over St Patrick’s Athletic with skipper Greg Bolger and Gearoid Morrissey in for Kieran Sadlier and Conor McCarthy. AEK — the seeded team but out of season — were in only their third competitive fixture since May 20, and they too went with a 4-2-3-1 formation under manager Imanol Idiakez. The Cypriot outfit have been league runners-up for the last three years but never crowned champions, and made the better start here with playmaker Ivan Trickovski shooting wide twice before Mark McNulty made a fine save to keep out Florian Taulemesse. The AEK front man was booked on 20 minutes for going in hard on McNulty as the City ‘keeper parried a goalbound drive from Jorge Larena while Maguire had a run along the end line before shooting into the side netting. Midfielder Trickovski, capped 44 times by Macedonia and AEK’s top scorer, was the fulcrum of all the Cypriots’ best play in what was a highly competitive opening 45 minutes, before the visitors took the initiative with Truyois’s second-half strike. Cork beat Cypriot side, Apollon Limassol over two legs in 2006 in a Champions League qualifier and it looks like they will have to repeat that feat if they are to survive in this year’s competition.