Derry City saw off ЮСИД 2-1 in the Round of 16 of the Irish Cup on Thursday evening. The visitors took control after a tight first half and sealed their place in the quarter-finals with a second-half goal.
M. Duffy opened the scoring for ЮСИД in the seventh minute, a quick strike that caught Derry off guard. L. Dignam levelled things up eleven minutes later, and by then the match had settled into a rhythm. ЮСИД held their nerve through the opening half, but the visitors changed shape at the break.
The second half brought a flurry of activity. ЮСИД threw three changes at once in the 60th minute, while Derry responded with their own trio of substitutions an hour in. T. Smith ended a barren spell with the decisive goal in the 64th minute, and Derry held on grimly for the remainder.
The statistics tell a story of Derry's dominance. They enjoyed 59 per cent possession and registered 104 attacks against ЮСИД's 56. Shots on target came 7-4 in their favour, and they created more danger throughout the contest. ЮСИД managed only four shots on target despite getting on the scoreboard early.
Two yellow cards were issued in the closing stages, C. Barr for ЮСИД in the 78th minute and J. Clarke for Derry on the stroke of full-time. Derry City now advance to the quarter-finals, while ЮСИД's cup campaign has come to an end.