"Both managers made changes to their strongest teams, which was expected from a Sparta perspective ahead of Sunday's Prague derby but a little surprising from the Irish point of view considering Kerry are their FAI Cup opponents - Bradley said afterwards that the meeting with the First Division underdogs did influence his selection. Graham Burke is used to dropping out for away days in Europe to make room for Darragh Nugent, but Dylan Watts and Danny Mandroiu also joined him on the bench,"
"But Bradley's rotated Rovers side struggled to land a blow with the concession of soft goals and a blunt and ineffective approach in attack closer in personality to three years ago when the Dubliners lost all their matches on the road. They were well beaten here, and while there's no shame in being bested by a club with resources in another parish, Rovers want to be judged by a higher bar."
Sparta Prague won 4-1 as Shamrock Rovers' rotated lineup failed to match the Czech side's athleticism and territorial control. Rovers conceded soft goals and produced a blunt, ineffective attack, exposing defensive weaknesses and poor application of their gameplan. Sparta relied on doing the simple things well and scored a pair of set-piece goals that turned the tie decisively by the 50th minute. Both managers made changes, with Bradley influenced by an upcoming FAI Cup match, leaving several creative players on the bench. Early pressing from Rovers failed to disrupt Sparta's superiority or prevent clear dominance.
Read at Irish Independent
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