• Cork City took the lead early in the second half through Ruairi Keating.
• Evan Caffrey equalized for Shelbourne in the 71st minute.
• Cork City’s goal survived a late onslaught with crucial defending and a bit of luck.

• Cork City started strong, with Charlie Lyons forcing a good save from Conor Kearns.
• Bernando Couto was a constant threat down the left, but City struggled to convert chances.
• Alex Nolan had a moment of magic, dribbling past three Shelbourne players but was blocked.

• Ruairi Keating scored the opening goal for Cork City after a brilliant save by Kearns.
• Darragh Crowley made a crucial goalline clearance to deny Sean Boyd.
• Evan Caffrey’s equalizer for Shelbourne was a result of great technique and timing.

Shelbourne

• Kearns
• Gannon, Barrett, Ledwidge, Norris (O’Kane 67)
• Wood (Caffrey 46), Chapman (Odubeko 46), Coote (Coyle 81), Lunney (Martin 81), McInroy
• Boyd

Cork City

• Troost
• MBeng, Anderson, Lyons
• Crowley, Murray (Healy 78), Shipston, Nelson (Fitzpatrick 73), Couto
• Nolan (Skieters 90), Keating

For 65 minutes, Cork City held their own against the champions, Shelbourne. However, Shelbourne upped the tempo in the final 25 minutes, making it a challenging end for the visitors. Freddie Anderson’s return from suspension saw Cork City switch to a back-three formation, with Alex Nolan playing alongside Keating. Despite a strong start, Cork City struggled to convert their chances, particularly from Bernando Couto’s crosses.

Cork City’s goal lived a charmed life in the final 20 minutes, with crucial saves and clearances from Darragh Crowley and Tein Troost. Evan Caffrey’s equalizer was a testament to Shelbourne’s resilience and tactical adjustments.

• Ruairi Keating (Cork City): Scored the opening goal and was a constant threat.
• Bernando Couto (Cork City): Impressive down the left, putting in excellent crosses.
• Evan Caffrey (Shelbourne): Scored the equalizer with great technique.
• Darragh Crowley (Cork City): Made crucial clearances to keep the score level.