Bohemians topped Setanta Sports Cup Group 2 following this keenly contested encounter at Dalymount Park, but a point wasn’t enough to keep Glentoran in the competition.
Knowing a win would send them into the last four, Gary Hamilton headed Glens into the lead on 51 minutes but Raffaele Cretaro’s shot put Bohs level ten minutes later.
Glens couldn’t find a second and the result between Linfield and St Pat’s in Belfast ensured that those two would join Bohs and Sligo in the semi-finals with Pat’s finishing second in Group 3, but having a better goal difference than Glentoran.
An explosive start saw Glens’ Jason Hill yellow carded for a rough tackle on Anto Murphy with just 58 seconds on the clock.
Bohs had a chance to take the lead on five minutes when Glenn Cronin found Cretaro on the right but Glens’ Paul Leeman cleared the ball. Mark Quigley took the resulting corner but it was weak and Kyle Neill swept the ball up field.
A minute later Jamie McGovern sent a dangerous ball into the area but with two Glens’ team-mates waiting Bohs ‘keeper Chris O’Connor made a clean save.
Bohs were posing more of a threat as play progressed and Quigley struck the woodwork with a cracking strike on 11 minutes following exquisite build-up play involving Cretaro and Mark Rossiter.
Gary Hamilton had a chance to make an impression for Glens on 38 when he disposed Ken Oman deep on the left. However, he found himself boxed into the corner and having swapped passes with Hill allowed Oman to make amends by slipping in from behind to clear.
Glens started the second half in positive fashion and forced several early corners. One, on 49 minutes, was met by the head of Alan Nixon but O’Connor did well to tip the ball over the bar.
The visitors’ pressure paid off on 51 minutes when Hamilton connected with Keith Gillespie’s ball and directed a powerful header past O’Connor. That set back stung Bohs back into life and they were level on 61 when Cretaro’s smashing drive tore through the Glens defence and past ‘keeper James Taylor into the back of the net.
Bohs nearly went ahead just two minutes after that when sub Killian Brennan, only on the pitch seconds, had his shot blocked by Taylor.
At the other end O’Connor was called into action again for Bohs on 75 with a fine save from Daryl Fordyce tough it took him a second attempt to block Andrew Waterworth’s rasping effort on 80.
Glens lost Leeman to injury and played the six minutes of injury time with ten men having used up their three subs.
Bohemians: O’Connor; Powell, Rossiter (Keegan 68 mins), McGuinness, Oman; A Murphy (Brennan 63 mins), Cronin, Shelley, Quigley (Madden 78 mins); Greene, Cretaro.
Unused subs: B Murphy, Heary, Burke.
Glentoran: Taylor; Nixon, Neill (Burrows 83 mins), Clarke, Leeman; Fordyce, Halliday (Waterworth 68 mins), Hamilton, Hill; McGovern (Ward 77 mins), Gillespie.
Unused subs: Gibbons, Fitzgerald, Black, Gardiner.
Ref: A Buttimer.
