Qualifying for second AFCON is difficult for me to take in now

BUSY LOPES IS LIVING HIS DREAM

- MARK MCCADDEN

DUNDALK V SHAMROCK R
Oriel Park, 7.45pm

ROBERTO LOPES'S celebrations were cut short by a scheduled flight home to Dublin.

While the rest of his Cape Verde teammates were celebrating back-to-back African Cup of Nations qualifications, Lopes had other things on his mind.

Two games - against Bohemians and Derry City - and four points later, events of the past fortnight remain a blur for the Shamrock Rovers defender.

"It's absolutely fantastic. If you'd have told me that at the age of 31 I'd be playing in my second AFCON, I'd hardly have believed you," said the Dubliner.

"But now that it's here, it's probably something that I won't appreciate now, because obviously I'm still focusing on winning games and wanting to play.

"But afterwards, when I get to look back on it all, just the places I've been and the occasions I've been lucky enough to play in, it's unbelievable.

"Hopefully there's many more. You get the bug, definitely."

In terms of occasions, there could be many more before he jets off to the Ivory Coast in January for the African Cup of Nations.

Rovers are now seven points clear at the top of the SSE Airtricity Premier Division and are on the cusp of another European adventure.

More on that in a bit.