Rafael Cretaro scored a dramatic winner three minutes from time as Sligo Rovers dumped Derry City out of the FAI Ford Cup at The Showgrounds on Saturday night.
Cretaro caught the Derry defence off-guard with a quick free-kick as Rovers took revenge for a 4-0 hammering in the league on Tuesday.
After conceding costly late goals against Bohemians and Dundalk in recent games, the result marked a timely and dramatic change in fortune for the Bit O' Red, who now advance to the last eight.
Derry made just one enforced change from the team that defeated Rovers midweek, with Barry Molloy coming in for the suspended Kevin Deery. Mark Farren, who scored twice on Tuesday, again started on the bench.
For Rovers, captain Conor O’Grady returned from injury and Romuald Boco was back from international duty.
Similar to Tuesday’s game, the first half produced plenty of endeavour and positive football from both sides, but little in the way of goalmouth action.
The best chances of the half both fell to Rovers striker Matthew Blinkhorn. The first came on 36 minutes, when O’Grady’s superb ball out wide was delivered into the area first time by Boco.
Blinkhorn took a touch to control the ball, but his eventual shot flew high and wide.
Just a minute later, Danny Ventre’s cross from the left was headed goalwards by Blinkhorn, but Gerard Doherty was well positioned to save.
Derry went closest when a free from Ruaidhri Higgins was chested down to Gareth McGlynn by Clive Delaney, but Thomas Stewart could not get the vital touch to direct McGlynn’s effort goalwards.
Mindful of their second half collapse on Tuesday, Rovers restarted in determined form, and created a chance within the opening minute, when Boco latched onto Owen Morrison’s flick and broke into the area before his shot was deflected wide.
Derry, who introduced Sligo-native Ciaran Martyn for Molloy at the break, went close themselves on 50 minutes, when a stinging free from Higgins required a safe pair of hands from Richard Brush on the line.
Derry went close again on 56 minutes when Stewart fired an effort across the face of goal but wide of the far post.
On the hour-mark, Derry boss Stephen Kenny sprung Farren from the bench, while Rovers brought Richie Ryan into midfield.
Ryan went close with a left-foot shot just two minutes after his introduction, while Higgins saw another free-kick flash just wide.
Derry's Ger O’Brien also saw a snapshot miss the target, before Sligo substitute Brian Cash tried to punish a badly hit clearance from Doherty, who was put under pressure by Blinkhorn.
However, Derry almost won it on 85 minutes, when O’Grady’s back-header was seized upon by Stewart in the box, but Brush made a brilliant save to amend for his howler for the third goal on Tuesday night.
With full-time looming and a replay in Derry on Tuesday on the cards, Cretaro popped up with the winner at the death, when his quick-thinking earned the home side a place in the quarter-finals.
Sligo Rovers: 1 Richard Brush; 2 Romuald Boco, 5 Martin Camano (12 Richie Ryan 60), 4 Alan Keane, 3 Joe Kendrick; 11 Owen Morrison (14 Brian Cash 76), 6 Danny Ventre, 8 Conor O’Grady (captain), 7 Eoin Doyle; 10 Rafael Cretaro, 9 Matthew Blinkhorn (13 Rob Turner 85).
Substitutes not used: 15 Dean Marshall, 16 Darren Meenan, 17 Ciaran Kelly, 18 Christopher Kelly.
Booked: Morrison (19), Keane (63), O’Grady (82).
Derry City: 1 Gerard Doherty; 12 Ger O’Brien, 3 Clive Delaney, 4 Peter Hutton (captain), 6 Steven Gray; 14 Gareth McGlynn, 7 Ruaidhri Higgins, 17 Barry Molloy (8 Ciaran Martyn h-t), 20 David Scullion (19 James McClean 79); 23 Tam McManus (18 Mark Farren 60), 10 Thomas Stewart.
Substitutes not used: 2 Eddie McCallion, 16 Patrick Jennings, 26 Shane McEleney, Aaron Nash.
Booked: Delaney (19), Gray (32), McGlynn (79), Doherty (87).
Referee: Anthony Buttimer (Cork).
