Shelbourne edge past Dundalk in five-goal thriller
Shelbourne came from behind to beat Dundalk 3-2 in the Premier Division's 32nd round on Friday evening. Sean Boyd scored twice for the visitors while Ronan Teahan, Sean Moore and Declan McDaid completed the scoring. The result moves Shelbourne level on points with their hosts despite having played one fewer game.
We had given Dundalk a narrow win at 49 per cent confidence, but the match went another way entirely. It was the late surge that broke our prediction. Boyd's second goal in stoppage time turned a respectable lead into a victory that felt earned rather than handed over.
Shelbourne took the lead through Teahan in the twelfth minute before Moore equalised just before the hour mark. McDaid restored their advantage in the seventy-first minute, but Boyd's brace in the closing stages gave them everything they needed. The visitors found a way back into it after Dundalk had pushed hard for a response.
Shelbourne dominated possession at 54 per cent and created three big chances compared to one for the hosts. They registered five shots on target against three, while Dundalk's accuracy sat at just 21 per cent. The visitors' 72 passes into the final third told their story better than any single moment.
Dundalk's hopes were further dented when Shane Tracey received a red card in the eighty-fifth minute. By then the game was already slipping away, and the dismissal only confirmed what the scoreboard had shown for twenty minutes. The hosts managed just one corner against four for Shelbourne despite playing with more urgency.
The result leaves Shelbourne in sixth place with 39 points from 31 matches, one behind Dundalk on 41 points. It ends a run of three games without a win that had seen them pick up just one point. The visitors will make life awkward for anyone watching from above.
