Shelbourne F.C. in European football
have a long, illustrious history in European competitions, taking on clubs such as Sporting Portugal, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Panathinaikos, Rangers, Rosenborg, Brøndby, Hajduk Split, Deportivo de La Coruña, Lille, and Steaua Bucharest.
In the 1963/64 Cup-Winners' Cup, Shelbourne faced Barcelona and despite battling bravely were beaten 2–0 at home[3] and 3–1 in the Camp Nou having taken the lead in the latter[4] in the club's first European excursion to Francoist Spain.
The home leg which Shels won 3–1, saw Brian Mooney score a stunning 35 yarder on a glorious night for the Reds after a one goal away defeat.
The home leg was moved to Prenton Park, England for security reasons following interference from then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern[15] and despite taking a 3–0 lead, Shels ended up losing 5–3.
A late Richie Baker free kick gave Shels a 1–0 away win against Macedonian side Sloga Jugomagnat in the Champions League qualifiers.
With Sloga only needing one more to progress, Shels survived an injury time scare when defender Owen Heary somehow managed to clear the ball off his own goal line after keeper Steve Williams had been lobbed.
[26] The following season saw Shels back in the Champions League qualifiers, but after drawing 2–2 away to Hibernians of Malta, conceded an injury time goal at home and missed out on a second round tie with Boavista.
This historic run only ended with a loss against Spanish giants, Deportivo La Coruña 3–0, having achieved a 0–0 draw in Lansdowne Road in front of 25,000 fans.
There Shels met French side Lille and were beaten 4–2 on aggregate, having come back from a two-goal deficit in Lansdowne Road to achieve a credible draw thanks to a brace from substitute Glen Fitzpatrick.
In the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League First Qualifying Round, they overcame Glentoran of Northern Ireland 6–2 on aggregate, 2–1 to Shelbourne at The Oval[29] in Belfast and 4–1 at home in Tolka Park.
On 18 June Shelbourne won 1–0 at the Vėtra Stadium in Vilnius, courtesy of a Sean Dillon headed goal just before the interval which was also the club's 50th European tie.
The club was demoted to the First Division by the FAI before the start of the 2007 season due to ongoing financial problems and it was unlikely they would have secured the necessary licence to take part in the competition.
[1] After an 18 year absence, the Reds returned to Europe during the summer of 2024 to make their debut in the UEFA Conference League and were drawn as the unseeded side against St Joseph's from Gibraltar.
