February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Shelbourne did what they had to by narrowing the width of the Lansdowne Road pitch (literally narrowing it — the touchline was moved in a good 10 yards), lining up with five across midfield to suffocate their much more illustrious opponents and holding tight for the scoreless draw in the third qualifying round of the Champions League last week. And by doing so, they’ve managed to get themselves to within a game of the groups phase.
Even typing that sentence feels a little weird. And yet no more weird than seeing the blue and white stripes of last year’s Champions League semifinalists lining up in Lansdowne Road (Shelbourne moved the game there to maximize ticket revenue, which they did spectacularly after it sold out). They now stand to make in the region of