A SPOT OF BOTHER
Republic lose on penalties after Slovakian stalemate
MATT Doherty crashed his penalty against the crossbar and so Republic of Ireland crashed out of Euro 2020.
The Spurs full-back was the shootout fall guy after a goalless 120 minutes in which Stephen Kenny’s side had chances to win this play-off semi-final.
His miss followed one by Alan Browne which put Slovakia in the driving seat in the shootout as the game ended goalless after 90 minutes plus extra time.
Kenny’s side may not have taken the contest to extra-time in the first place had it not been for Shane Duffy’s late goal-line block from substitute Lukas Haraslin.
But they also had a chance to win at the death themselves only for Aston Villa’s Conor Hourihane to stab tamely at a home defender when taking aim with his weaker right boot from six yards out.
Duffy’s heroics and Hourihane’s miss meant another 30 minutes before the prospect of penalties.
This play-off had actually been secured thanks to Martin O’Neill’s ill-fated Nations League campaign two years ago. Ireland did not win a game and scored only one goal — costing O’Neill his job — but it was still enough to guarantee a shot at this backdoor entry to next summer’s finals.
There is much debate surrounding the length of Kenny’s grace period. He has been elevated from the Under 21s to bring about a change in culture. Pass and press will evolve from his management, they hope, bidding farewell to kick and run. In recent days it has been evident that Ireland were buoyed by Slovakia’s loss of four certain starters, a combination of Covid-related issues and injury weakening the hosts.
But the Irish bubble was not Covid-proof itself and it was subsequently burst in the hours before kick-off with news of a second positive test among their backroom team.
Brighton’s Aaron Connolly, who would have started, then disappeared from the matchday squad, and so, too, did Norwich forward Adam Idah.
It is thought the pair had come into close contact with the infected individual.
James McClean, once an Irish talisman but more a missing man of late, won promotion to the starting XI.
The Stoke winger, though, dusted off his old cloak and was Ireland’s best player during a first half in which Kenny’s men were impressive, albeit without troubling the goalkeeper. But it was McClean who came closest and his snap shot from 10 yards was blocked inside the six-yard area by defender Martin Valjent on 37 minutes.
The only save of the opening period was a flying Darren Randolph tip to deny Ondrej Duda, the forward once of Norwich. From the resulting corner Duda sent an overhead kick wide.
Then came the late drama at either end, and how Hourihane will rue his miss. David McGoldrick had driven at Slovakia’s backline before the ball was worked to his team-mate and all Hourihane had to do was steer either side of a defender on the line but somehow he shot straight at him. REP OF IRELAND (4-3-3): Randolph; Doherty, Duffy, Egan, Stevens; Hendrick, McCarthy (Browne 60min), Hourihane; Robinson (O’Dowda 100), McGoldrick (Long 112), McClean (Brady 60). Subs not used: Kelleher, Molumby, Idah, Byrne, Williams, Connolly, Travers.