shamrock rovers are still in with a chance of winning this ıntertoto cup first round tie after taking a shock lead in front of a hostile crowd of 30,000 in the alsancak stadium in ızmir last night.
hoops boss mick byrne wanted his side to act as standard bearers for the rest of the national league with a resounding away performance against the turkish side.
and rovers got off to a great start in a game shown live on turkish television when derek tracey headed home a marc kenny free-kick after seven minutes.
altay, who finished fifth in the turkish league last season, were jolted into action and rovers found themselves pegged back in their own half under the break.
after 30 minutes the turks got their reward when kenanan equalised and five minutes later they were ahead when rovers conceded a very soft goal to sencad. however the visitors hit back with a purpose at the start of the second half.
rovers played an aggressive, attacking game but unfortunately conceded a third through orhan.
rovers continued to search for an important second away goal but altay packed their defence and by the final whistle the national league was still waiting for it's first win in the ıntertoto cup since entering the competition in 1995.
nevertheless byrne was upbeat afterwards about rovers' chances of grabbing two goals in the return leg at tolka park next sunday. that early tracey strike may yet prove priceless.
the second leg may yet prove priceless for rovers anyway - late last night the club was in negotiations with a turkish television company who want to broadcast next sunday's clash live.
shamrock rovers: forde, britton, brazil, whelan, dunne, colwell, purdy, kenny, woods, tracey, cousins. subs: francis for britton, morrisroe for woods.
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