THE REBELS ARE ROUSED

Relegation haunted Cork blaze into FAI Cup final

- BY STEPHEN BARRY

A NIGHT that began with a fan protest ended with a joyful pitch invasion as Cork City produced an FAI Cup shock for the ages.

The relegation-bound side overwhelmed St Patrick's Athletic with their counterattacking prowess to seal an Aviva Stadium return for the first time since 2018.

City led this semifinal from Seani Maguire's ninth-minute strike before two goals in the space of 90 seconds from Evan McLaughlin secured a remarkable triumph at a rocking Turner's Cross.

The marauding midfielder had also bagged a brace in the quarterfinal.

The result marked the Leesiders' first win over Pat's in 18 attempts, dating back to May 2018. It also reversed their 4-0 Inchicore defeat just 11 days previous, while spoiling Stephen Kenny's 1,000th game in club management.

They could yet be contesting both the First Division and the UEFA Conference League next year should they win next month's Aviva showpiece.