2008–09 Irish Cup
Football tournament season / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2008–09 Irish Cup was the 129th edition of the Irish Cup, Northern Ireland's premier football knock-out cup competition. The competition began on 25 October 2008 with the first round and ended on 9 May 2009 with the final.
Quick Facts Tournament details, Country ...
Tournament details | |
---|---|
Country | Northern Ireland |
Teams | 100 |
Defending champions | Linfield |
Final positions | |
Champions | Crusaders (3rd win) |
Runner-up | Cliftonville |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 102 |
Goals scored | 419 (4.11 per match) |
Close
Linfield were the defending champions, winning their third consecutive Irish Cup the previous season after a 2–1 win over Coleraine in the 2008 final. This season they reached the semi-finals, but were defeated by Cliftonville. Crusaders went on to lift the trophy, beating Cliftonville 1–0 in the final. In doing so, they earned a place in the second qualifying round of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League.[1][2]