Bohemians edged Galway United 3-2 in the Premier Division's 31st round on Friday evening. The visitors seized a lead and held on despite a late fightback from the hosts. The result keeps Bohemians in third place while Galway remain seventh.
Stephen Walsh opened the scoring for Galway in the 31st minute, but Kristopher Twardek equalised shortly after the break. Colm Whelan restored Bohemians' advantage in the 74th minute before Ross Tierney added a second in the 81st. Whelan then sealed the win with a second goal in the 89th minute.
Galway started brightly, with Facchineri booking in the eighth minute. The hosts stretched the back line early on and Walsh's finish looked the better chance. And here's the thing, though, Bohemians adjusted by then. They controlled the tempo and picked apart the high line with their movement.
The statistics tell the story of a match decided by moments. Galway had 27 per cent possession but created two big chances, while Bohemians generated three. The visitors took 25 shots with eight on target, compared to nine for the hosts. Shots accuracy was 38 per cent for Galway and 24 per cent for Bohemians.
We had backed a home win at 42 per cent confidence. The prediction unraveled because Bohemians rolled the dice with their pressing and punished Galway from their rare clearances. By then the visitors had the deeper squad and made life awkward with fresh legs.
Bohemians now sit 19 points clear of Galway with three games remaining. The hosts have played one fewer game but cannot close the gap at this stage. The result ended Galway's unbeaten run from their previous five outings.
