Athlone turn on the style in Europe to hammer Cardiff
In front of a sold-out crowd, Colin Fortune's side dominated Cardiff from start to finish and were full value for a win that sets them up for a first qualifying round final against Croatian side Agram at the same venue on Saturday.
With Athlone midway through their domestic campaign and Cardiff still in the early stages of their pre-season, hopes were high that the host's superior match fitness and conditioning would tell and so it proved.
Cardiff struggled to get out of their own half throughout the game and had already survived several scares when Izzy Groves opened the scoring with 14 minutes on the clock.
While Groves provided the finishing touch, the opening goal was all about the creativity and power of Roisin Molloy who went on a surging run down the right before dribbling around two Cardiff defenders and cutting the ball back to Groves on the edge of the box.
Groves watched the ball come across her before hitting a delicate lob which floated over the outstretched hand of goalkeeper Ceryn Chamberlain and into the net.
Molloy was already causing all kinds of problems for Cardiff, who couldn't get to grips with her pace. Four minutes after providing the assist for the opener, she was at it again, sending in a perfectly weighted cross for Kelly Brady to attack, but the US-born striker couldn't keep her header down.
The Cardiff defence were unable to contain Molloy who created further chances for Brady and Sarah Rice before taking matters into her own hands just before half-time.
With 40 minutes on the clock Molloy was in the right place at the right time as she met a cross from Madie Gibson in front of the Cardiff goal, calmly controlling the ball with her knee and then poking her shot home underneath the dive of Cardiff goalkeeper Chamberlain.
There was even more to come from the Sligo native three minutes later when she added Athlone's third of the evening, and all but ended the game as a contest before half-time.
A searching delivery from Shauna Brennan left Chamberlain in a mess as she came for the cross without getting near it and Molloy was on hand to nod the ball into the bottom left corner.
If Cardiff had any hope that the hosts might take their foot off the gas in the second-half, that was soon dispelled as Athlone added their fourth on 49 minutes.
Molloy was again involved, taking a corner and dropping a teasing cross into the centre where it was met by the head of Natalie McNally who powered her header against the woodwork. The rebound dropped to Hannah Waesch who steadied herself before picking her spot and firing home.
Athlone had further chances to add to their tally with Brady and substitute Hazel Donegan both going close, but with the quick turn around between this game and Saturday's final, intensity levels understandably dropped.
Even still, Cardiff struggled to maintain any kind of meaningful possession and Megan Plaschko is unlikely to have many quieter evenings in goal for The Town.
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