LOPES HAS FINAL WORD

WHAT A NIGHT Rovers won in the Azores

- BY MARK MCCADDEN

SHORTLY after the final whistle on Thursday, the local TV station grabbed Roberto Lopes for an interview, figuring he'd be the only Shamrock Rovers player that could hold a conversation in Portuguese.

And as was the case with his performance on the pitch as the Hoops secured a 2-1 first-leg win away to Santa Clara, ‘Pico’ didn’t disappoint.

A Cape Verde international, it was an opportunity for the Dubliner to brush up on the lingo ahead of next month's return to World Cup qualification action against Mauritius and Cameroon.

“That was harder than the game, to be honest with you,” he joked. “But it was good, because we have games with Cape Verde soon, so it's nice to get back into the practice of it again.”