Rafale Cretaro scored a dramatic winner three minutes from time as Sligo Rovers dumped Derry City out of the FAI Cup last night.

 

Cretaro caught the Derry defence off-guard with a quick free-kick at The Showgrounds as Rovers took revenge for a 4-0 hammering in the league on Tuesday.

 

After conceding costly late goals against Bohemians and Dundalk in recent games, the result marked a change of fortune for the Bit O' Red.

 

Similar to Tuesday's game, the first half produced plenty of endeavour and positive football from both sides, but little in the way of goalmouth action.

 

The best chance of the half fell to Rovers striker Matthew Blinkhorn, when Conor O'Grady's superb ball out wide was delivered into the area first time by Boco. Blinkhorn took a touch to control the ball, but his eventual shot flew high and wide.

 

Derry went closest when a free from Ruaidhri Higgins was chested down to Gareth McGlynn by Clive Delaney, but Thomas Stewart could not get the vital touch to direct McGlynn's effort goalwards.

 

Derry almost won it on 85 minutes, when O'Grady's back-header was seized upon by Stewart in the box, but Brush made a brilliant save.

 

But Cretaro popped up with the winner at the death, when his quick-thinking earned the home side a place in the quarter-finals.

 

Sligo Rovers: Brush, Boco, Camano (Ryan 60), Keane, Kendrick, Morrison (Cash 76), Ventre, O'Grady, Doyle, Cretaro, Blinkhorn (Turner 85).

 

Derry City: Doherty, O'Brien, Delaney, Hutton, Gray, McGlynn, Higgins, Molloy (Martyn HT), Scullion (McClean 79), McManus (Farren 60), Stewart.

 

Referee: A Buttimer (Cork).