Lawrence Shankland double sends Dundee packing

Posted Sunday, August 19, 2018 by PA

Lawrence Shankland hit a double as Ayr dumped nine-man Dundee out of the Betfred Cup at Dens Park.

Michael Moffat’s late strike made it 3-0 to the Ladbrokes Championship side on a miserable day for the hosts, who have now lost three games in a row.

Sofien Moussa and Genseric Kusunga were both ordered off for the lacklustre Premiership side towards the end as Ayr sealed their place in the quarter-finals.

Shankland struck in 51 and 86 minutes before Moffat’s 89th-minute clincher and the Dark Blues’ misery was compounded with Mousa’s 77th-minute ordering off before team-mate Kusunga received his marching orders in injury-time.

Ayr should have taken the lead before half-time when Andy Murdoch latched on to Moffat’s cut-back after he had dispossessed Kharl Madianga. Murdoch’s shot was heading for the top corner until Dundee goalkeeper Jack Hamilton tipped it over for a corner.

Dundee were toiling and they threw on new signing Benjamin Kallman to liven up their attack but it was Shankland who hit the headlines.

A long kick downfield by visiting keeper Ross Doohan caught out the Dundee defence and Shankland pounced to hammer a left-footed finish from 12-yards past Hamilton.

Moussa then lost his cool, which led to a 67th minute booking for a foul on Daniel Harvie, before a barge on Mark Kerr 10 minutes later brought his second yellow card, with manager Neil McCann raging at the touchline.

Shankland’s close-range finish from Harvie’s cross ensured victory before Moffat produced a similar effort with a minute left.

There was still time for Dundee’s day to get even worse as Kusunga’s shocking challenge on Moffat earned a straight red card.