What a first half.
Newcastle looked to be coasting towards the fourth round of the FA Cup with two goals in the opening 25 minutes of their replay against Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday night.
But the Championship side turned things around after switching to a more direct style of play and ensured that the teams would return to the dressing room with nothing to separate them thanks to a remarkable fightback.
First Adam Armstrong squeezed the ball into the corner against his former club to give Blackburn hope and then Darragh Lenihan made the Ewood Park faithful’s half-time a lot more pleasant by scoring a picture-perfect header just moments before the break.
From a corner, Harrison Reed sent in a teasing ball and Lenihan, who moved to Rovers from Belvedere in 2011, didn’t need a second invitation as the Dunboyne-born defender rose the highest and gave goalkeeper Freddie Woodman no chance with a power header into the top corner.
We told you to watch this and it hasn’t disappointed so far. Blackburn 2-0 down against Newcastle in the FA Cup replay, get back 2-1 and then #Belvo boy @darragh_lenihan pops up with this to equalise before half-time. Some second half coming (🎥 BT Sport) ⚽️🔵🥅 pic.twitter.com/Ef03iLqIEK
— Belvedere FC (@BelvedereFCDub) January 15, 2019
Last June, Lenihan became the first ever Meath man to represent the Republic of Ireland at senior level when he made his debut for his country in a 2–1 won over the USA in Dublin.
Tuesday night wasn’t quite as enjoyable for Lenihan’s fellow Irish defender Ciaran Clark, who was forced off at half-time with an injury.
