An injury-time equaliser from new Swedish signing Lukas Browning earned Sligo Rovers 1-1 against Shamrock Rovers in their opening SSE Airtricity League of Ireland Premier Division game at the Showgrounds on Saturday.
Browning fired him the equaliser from the edge of the area with time almost up to send the capacity 4,248 crowd into raptures.
📽️ | The moment The Showgrounds erupted!
It’s good to be back 😁#SLISHA | #LOI pic.twitter.com/n4XjOFsr5u
— League of Ireland (@LeagueofIreland) February 18, 2023
It was a highly entertaining and incident-filled game with both sides creating several chances in either half.
Shamrock Rovers had taken the lead in the 18th minute when Graham Burke was allowed to approach the angle of the Rovers penalty area and he fired an unstoppable angled shot past Luke McNicholas.
Shamrock Rovers brought on former Sligo Rovers favourite Johnny Kenny for Rory Gaffney in the second half to a mixture of boos and applause from the home fans.
The champions were reduced to 10 players shortly after Kenny’s introduction when defender Roberto Lopes was red-carded following a clash with Rovers Kailin Barlow.
The visitors were incensed by an off-the-ball incident which left substitute Liam Burt on the deck, but which the match officials appear to have missed.
The Dubliners appeared to be holding on for all three points until Johann Brannefalk’s late corner saw the ball fall to his compatriot Browning who found the net from the edge of the box.
SSE Airtricity League of Ireland Premier Division
Sligo Rovers 1 Shamrock Rovers 1
