Shamrock Rovers Held To Draw As Pico Lopes Sees Red In Drogheda

At Sullivan & Lambe Park, in front of a crowd of 2,289, the Crumlin-born Cape Verde defender was shown a straight red by referee Aaron O’Dowd for a late and high challenge on Shane Farrell. It came just four weeks to the day since Lopes lined out against Lionel Messi and Argentina in the World Cup round of 32 in Miami, as The 42 reported.

What the draw means for Shamrock Rovers

Stephen Bradley’s side, playing just three days after their Champions League exit, were far from their best. The manager made six changes, handing a debut to Will Fitzgerald and starts to teenagers Michael Noonan and Naj Razi, while Luke O’Regan made his first Rovers start since arriving from UCD. John O’Sullivan struck the post in a first half short on quality.