Athlone Town 4-0 ZFK Skopje 2014: Shauna Brennan, Noelle Murray, Dana Scheriff and Michaela Hand score as Irish champions dominate UWCL first qualifying round semi-final in Poland.
Match Videos
Match Analysis
AI SummaryHow it unfolded
Athlone dominated from the first whistle. The League of Ireland Women's Premier Division champions racked up 31 attempts across the match — eight on target — while Skopje managed only two shots in the entire first half (the42.ie).
Madi Gibson forced a smart save from goalkeeper Evgenija Veljanovska inside the first six minutes, and Kayleigh Shine lobbed the rebound over the bar from close range. The warning signs were clear.
Athlone broke through in the 19th minute. Roisin Molloy's whipped cross from the right flank found Shauna Brennan, who chested the ball home from close range for her first goal of the campaign.
Skopje's only real chance of the half arrived in the 12th minute, when Cypriot goalkeeper Maria Matthaiou denied Rabija Dervishi with a sharp save to her left. But the Macedonians were otherwise chasing shadows as Athlone controlled possession and stretched the pitch.
The second goal arrived two minutes before half-time. Molloy was the provider again, delivering a deep right-wing cross that Noelle Murray met with a looping header that kissed the inside of the post and nestled in the net.
Agg made two changes at the break, withdrawing Madi Gibson and captain Hannah Waesch for Isabel Ryan and Kerryanne Brown. The pattern of play did not change.
Dana Scheriff was a constant menace. Her fierce strike from inside the area was tipped over by Veljanovska, and Athlone were denied a penalty just after the hour when Hristina Joshevska bundled Scheriff over in the box, with Lithuanian referee Ugne Šmitaite waving play on.
The third goal arrived in the 77th minute. Shauna Brennan's corner was met by Scheriff, whose downward header found the bottom-left corner — a deserved reward for the American striker's energetic display.
Substitute Michaela Hand put the result beyond doubt four minutes later. Another corner was only half-cleared to the edge of the area, and the substitute steered a controlled volley into the net just moments after entering the fray.
The turning point
Noelle Murray's header on the stroke of half-time was the decisive blow. Skopje had held out for 43 minutes, but the second goal — a classic set-piece finish from a Molloy cross — effectively ended the contest before the interval. A team that had already struggled to contain Athlone now faced a two-goal deficit and a mountain they never looked capable of climbing.
Key performers
Roisin Molloy — Two first-half assists (the provider payload confirms the 19th-minute cross to Brennan and the 43rd-minute cross to Murray). The winger was the creative heartbeat of Athlone's attack, consistently finding space on the right flank and delivering with precision.
Shauna Brennan — A goal and an assist. The defender opened the scoring with a clever chested finish, then turned provider for Scheriff's header from a corner. Also made way for Hand in the 78th minute.
Dana Scheriff — The American striker, who returned to Athlone in the winter after stints with FC Aarau, FC Brooklyn and Slavia Praha, was a constant threat. She had the first shot of the match and scored the decisive third goal with a well-placed header (RTE).
Noelle Murray — The former Shelbourne star showed her experience with a textbook headed goal just before half-time, the type of clinical finish that settled any nerves (the42.ie).
Player of the match: Roisin Molloy
By the numbers — interpreted
The provider payload shows Athlone's 31 total attempts versus Skopje's limited output. The 8-2 shots-on-target split (the42.ie) reflects not just volume but quality: Veljanovska made several fine saves to keep the scoreline respectable, particularly denying Gibson, Scheriff and substitute Chloe Singleton from close range. The 4-0 scoreline undersells Athlone's dominance in the final third, where they created enough chances for a wider margin.
Skopje's three yellow cards (Veljanovska 20', Kolarovska 34', Naumovska 80') tell a story of a side stretched and forced into tactical fouls. Athlone, by contrast, received no bookings.
What it means
Athlone advanced to the first qualifying round final, where they faced tournament hosts Czarni Sosnowiec on 25 July 2026. The Polish side had beaten Georgia's WFC Nike 7-1 in their semi-final. The winner would progress to the second qualifying round.
For Skopje 2014, the defeat ended their Champions League campaign. The North Macedonian champions, comprised entirely of domestic players, could not match the pace and experience of an Irish side that had already navigated European qualifying rounds in previous seasons.
Athlone's European journey in 2025/26 had seen them beat Cardiff City and ZNK Agram to progress from the first qualifying round, before losing to Icelandic champions Breidablik and then defeating Red Star Belgrade to enter the UEFA Women's Europa Cup, where Glasgow City ended their run (RTE).
Verdict
A textbook European performance from Athlone: professional, patient and ruthless when it mattered. The quality gap between the League of Ireland champions and the Macedonian side was evident from the first minute, and Agg's team exploited it without ever needing to move through the gears. The final against Czarni Sosnowiec would be a far sterner test.
Match Events
Key match events between Athlone WFC W and ZFK Skopje 2014 W — 4 goals and 3 cards recorded during the match.
assist: S. Brennan
Statistics are for informational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
API data: 2 Aug 2026