Galway United blow two-goal lead as Bohs claim vital win

What was even more sickening for the home side was that the winner came from a howler by goalkeeper Hugo Da Cunha, who had performed heroics throughout the game but will be haunted by his mistake in the 89th minute.

Stephen Walsh had fired United into the lead with a spectacular bicycle kick in the 31st minute; and the home side were in dreamland when Kris Twardek doubled that advantage eight minutes after the restart

However, they could not survive the Bohs onslaught, with Colm Whelan pulling a goal back in the 74th minute. Ross Tierney had them level seven minutes later, before that sickening end for the home side, who must now pick themselves up for a Connacht derby away to Sligo Rovers on Monday night.

The home side made just one change to the side which booked a place in the FAI Cup semi-finals a week last week, and it was an enforced one, with Gianfranco Facchineri coming in for Leigh Kavanagh, who was both injured, and ineligible to play given the fact he is on loan at United from Bohs.

As for the visitors, they went with the same starting XI that also booked their place in the last four of the cup 24 hours later when beating St Patrick's Athletic on penalties.

Bohs had four wins and a draw from their last six visits west, and United have not beaten a Dublin side in 12 attempts this season, but the Tribesmen were on a decent run of form, having gone nine games unbeaten, and will have felt they were due a result against the Phibsboro outfit.

The visitors started on the front foot, but lacked any cutting edge, and it was the home side who took the lead.

Bohs were one of just two teams that Walsh had never scored against, but he chalked them off his board in the 31st minute, and in stunning style.

Lee Devitt, a bustle of energy throughout the first-half, won possession in the centre of the park and shuffled the ball wide left to Al-Amin Kazeem.

The defender took a touch before sending in a cross, and Walsh launched himself at it, connecting with a perfect bicycle kick to crack an effort past Paul Walters and into the top-right corner, the ball clipping the angle of the post and crossbar for a simply stunning lead goal.

The visitors bossed the opening 20 minutes or so, but without ever getting close to the United goal: in fact, the first two effort on target were from the home side, but Twardek's toe-poke in the 4th minute lacked power, while Jimmy Keohane's 26th minute effort clipped a defender, which took the sting out of the shot as it rolled to Walters.

United had grown into the game by that stage, and were the middle of a decent spell of pressure.

Two minutes earlier, Twardek knocked a Kazeem cross down for Aaron Bolger, but Walsh was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got on the way of the shot.

Then came Walsh's stunning effort for his sixth goal of the season, and United's tails were up, but the visitors got their act together and as good as laid siege to the United penalty area for the final 15 minutes of the half.

They should have got back on level terms in the 38th minute when Douglas James-Taylor got away with a push in the back to take Wasiri Williams out of the game and give him a clear run on goal.

He played in Ross Tierney for a one-on-one, but Da Cunha flew off his line and pulled off a cracking save. Connor Parsons was off target with a 15-yard volley, and Anto O'Connor twice threw himself in front of Bohs efforts in the final minute of the half, but United held firm and took that one-goal lead into the break.

The home fans were braced for a Bohs onslaught from the start of the second-half, but instead found themselves in dreamland eight minutes in when they doubled their lead through Twardek.

If Walsh's goal was worthy of consideration for goal of the season, Twardek's effort will surely make the bloopers' reel. Connor Barratt launched a high ball towards the Bohs penalty area, as much a relieving clearance as an attacking intent.

There looked little danger, with former United man Pat Hickey watching it drop, and Walters coming off his line to gather.

However, both hesitated, waiting for the other to make the move, before Hickey decided to head the ball. Unfortunately for the visitors, he headed it away from Walters and straight to Twardek, who had been keeping a watching brief, and he couldn't believe his luck as he stroked the ball into an empty net from 15 yards out to score against his former club.

Bohs threw caution to the wind at that stage, but Da Cunha was equal to everything they threw at him. He gathered a Tierney header with the minimum of fuss; then threw himself at the feet of Parsons to smother his shot; before adjusting his feet brilliantly to get down and push away a James-Taylor effort that took a wicked deflection.

His defenders were doing their bit as well, O'Connor getting in smother brilliant block in the 70th minute; while United also enjoyed a bit of luck when the unmarked Parsons headed over from six yards.

The home side were pinned deep into their own half and could find no respite, with Da Cunha edging towards double figures in terms of saves made when pushing away a Colm Whelan effort, but he was finally beaten in the 74th minute. Senan Mullen rolled a ball infield to Whelan - who had been introduced as a 67th minute sub - and he took a touch before letting fly from 25 yards, his low effort fizzing inside Da Cunha's right hand post despite the goalkeeper going full stretch to try and keep it out.

The pressure kept building and building, and it was no surprise when the visitors bagged an equaliser. It came in the 81st minute, Tierney finding himself in space to fire home from 15 yards, but if United thought their tale of woe was to end there, they were wrong.

The game had entered the 89th minute when Whelan picked up possession on the right. He jinked his way into the box before shooting, but Da Cunha looked to have it covered at his near post. However, the ball somehow squirmed through his hands and nestled into the back of the net to leave the home side stunned.

Galway United: Da Cunha; Keohane, Williams (Lomboto 79), O'Connor, Facchineri, Kazeem (Junikor 90); Bolger (Hurley 79), Barratt, Devitt; Twardek (Connolly 87), Walsh (Pierrot 79).

Bohemians: Walters; Power, Hickey, Byrne, Mullen (Whelan 67); Devoy, Flores; Tierney (Morahan 90), Vaughan (Myers 67), Parsons (McDOnnell 90); James-Taylor (Madden 73).

Referee: Paul McLaughlin (Donegal).