Ronan Curtis gave Derry City the lead FAI Cup semi final but Dundalk ran out 2-1 winners
IT was, in the words of manager Kenny Shiels, Derry City’s biggest game of the same.
A win over league holders and leaders Dundalk would put The Candy Stripes back in the final of the Irish Daily FAI Cup.
But Dundalk had other ideas when they came from behind to defeat Shiels’s men and book their place in the FAI Cup Final, breaking Derry’s hearts.
The cup holders now face old rivals Cork City at the Aviva Stadium in next month’s showpiece final.
As for Derry they will now hope that they can secure a Europa League spot in their remaining four league games.
Derry started the game like a house on fire and Sunday’s hero Ronan Curtis broke the deadlock on three minutes.
Harry Monaghan nipped into win possession from Paddy Barrett and Barry McNamee nipped into pick up the loose ball on the right hand side of the box, before cutting the ball back to Curtis and he made no mistake drilling the ball past Gabriel Sava.
Dundalk were given a fortuitous penalty on 37 minutes as Robbie Benson was upended inside the box by Niclas Vemmelund and after the additional referee behind the goal, Paul Tuite informed referee David McKeon to award the spot-kick.
After the angry Derry players were calmed down, Ciaran Kilduff made no mistake slotting the ball home low into Gerard Doherty’s bottom left hand corner.
Danger man Curtis was in the thick of things right at the beginning of the second half but after working hard and skipping through a few challenges, his drive from the right hand side of the box was saved by Sava.
Just after the hour mark Aaron McEneff saw his long range drive was well saved by Sava.
The visitors took the lead on 67 minutes as Darren Meenan’s teasing right wing centre found Ronan Finn and his glancing header from just 12 yards went in off the post.
Although the champions were unable to get out of their half after the goal, Derry never tested keeper Sava and in the end ran out of time and their cup dreams ended.
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