Ruairí Keating hat-trick fires Cork City to five-goal rout of UCD

Cork City 5 

UCD 1

Ruairi Keating's first-half hat-trick powered Cork City to a ruthless five-goal demolition of UCD at Turner's Cross on Friday evening, the league champions stretching their lead at the top of the First Division to 21 points.

The Leesiders completely overpowered the Students before the break, Keating netting three times inside 27 minutes before Seani Maguire added a fourth, and the result was long settled by half-time, though a couple more goals would come in the latter period.

When we score the goals like that, we could have done that eight or nine times this season,” Barry Robson said after the game. “We've played just as well as that, but tonight we were pretty clinical on how we were doing it.

“I think we can all talk about how it was great to watch us, how fast we played, how our wing-backs were causing them all sorts of problems, (0:40) playing between their full-backs and their wide players, they couldn't deal with it.

“And what people don't notice is it was an absolute pressing masterclass tonight,” he explained. “It's not just pressing in a structure, it's man-to-man/hybrid and they did it to the letter. It's not just getting the first bit of your press right, it's the counter-pressure, they just couldn't deal with it. Any time we lost the ball, we were just everywhere and it was brilliant to sit and watch.” 

City had started well, Cillian Murphy and Hans Mpongo showing their intent with early chances, before City went ahead with Keating’s first. Conor Drinan fired a ball into the area, UCD squandered it, and it fell perfectly to Keating who finished to the net on 15 minutes, despite Dara Kavanagh’s best efforts to close the space.

Josh Fitzpatrick fizzed wide three minutes later after Chris N’Sa’s threaded pass, but City were through again two minutes later and Keating converted. Quick thinking from Crowley set Keating up, and while his first effort was saved, he knocked home the rebound after 20 minutes.

By the 27th minute Keating had his hat-trick, drilling a penalty to the top corner after Harry Curtis brought down Murphy in the box.

Louis Dignam had a great chance to hit one back for UCD in the 31st minute, but they were very fortunate not to concede another immediately after when City countered and Maguire hit the post.

Maguire got himself on the scoresheet nine minutes later after a beautiful one-two move with Keating, before slotting to the corner to keep the rout going. UCD’s attempt at taking the game to City completely faltered.

“It’s dangerous, isn't it? If you want to go and play like that against us, it's dangerous,” Robson added. “And I think UCD, they've done that. You can watch them every week and the move teams about and the control games and all that.

“They ain't doing that to us.

“And if you're going to play and you're going to play football like the way they try and do it, you need to be top, top if you're going to beat our press.” 

On the restart, Maguire had a chance to add his second with Kavanagh off his line, but struck it just over the crossbar. In the 49th minute, Rory Feely felled Dignam inside the box and Hugh Smith drove it to the bottom corner to grab a consolation.

Still, City weren’t finished, and they broke through for their fifth in the 52nd minute. Perhaps the best of the lot, N’Sa floated a stunning ball over the top to Maguire. He controlled it, carried it forward and slotted it perfectly into the net from the tightest of angles.

Charles Akinrintoyo forced a good save from Conor Brann on the hour but the visitors were sorely lacking cohesion, particularly at the back.

By this stage, both camps began emptying the bench – City handing appearances to academy boys Ike Manjor-Georgewill and Tom McGrath – while the hosts again threated a sixth, this time when Maguire teed up Fitzpatrick in the 72nd minute, but his effort was kept out.

It ended comfortable for the league champions, whose lead at the top now stands at 21.

CORK CITY (3-4-1-2): Brann; N’Sa (Manjor-Georgewill 62), Feely, Drinan; Fitzpatrick, O’Keeffe (Aidoo 66), Crowley (McGrath 62), Mpongo; Murphy (Bolger 62), Maguire, Keating (Murray 55).

UCD (4-2-3-1): Kavanagh; Holohan (Bolton 65), Murphy (Ogbonna 75), Curtis (Sheeran 65), Cailloce; Dignam, Wells; McCullagh, Behan (Morley 65), Akinrintoyo; Smith (Alonge 75).

Referee: D Toland