Ireland’s hopes of qualifying for Euro 2016 look more and more remote after they could only draw 1-1 against Scotland at the Aviva Stadium.
Jon Walters put the Irish ahead before half-time as Ireland showed the greater spirit, but Scotland rallied early in the second half and Shaun Maloney’s equaliser – which deflected in off John O’Shea – left both sides with a point at the end of the game.
Despite some early promise it was another poor performance from an Irish team and they remain fourth in the Group D table.
Shay Given – Comfortable in the first half but things got nervy in the second half. Could have reacted better for the equaliser and caused panic after 64 minutes when he slam dunked a cross from Ikechi Anya inside his own six-yard box.
Seamus Coleman – Poor in the opening exchanges, one shanked cross from a promising position was particularly cruel.
Marc Wilson – Solid in the first half, was quick to snuff out the threat from Naismith and Fletcher. Booked early in the second half and will miss the Gibraltar game,
John O’Shea – We didn’t notice him much in the first half of the game, which is probably one of the nicest things you can say about a central defender. Unfortunately we noticed him 40 seconds into the second half as Shaun Maloney’s shot hit his back and deflected past Given.
Robbie Brady – Got better as the first half developed, his crosses troubling the Scots more and more. Got worse as the second went on, his crossing becoming more and more erratic, but he’s going to be a crucial player if Ireland ever get over their addiction to nervy 1-1 draws and actually start qualifying for tournaments.
James McCarthy – The only thing we remember from his first half was an unnecessary booking when he was lucky not to be sent off. Quiet otherwise. So far in his Ireland career he’s been tentative at best, indifferent at worst, and hopefully we’ll soon see the best of him as he’s our most naturally gifted player.
Jeff Hendrick – Or ‘Jeff Hendrix’ as Ronnie Whelan insisted on calling him throughout. We’re sure there’s a decent footballer in there somewhere, anywhere, but he failed to assert himself in this game and Scotland’s dominance of the midfield made it harder and harder for Ireland to take the lead for the second time.
Glenn Whelan – Overly aggressive, got booked for an early tackle on Steven Fletcher and frequently lost possession as Ireland struggled to capitalise on their early dominance. Poor in general and was replaced by James McClean with half an hour to go.
Marc Wilson (Inpho)
Wes Hoolahan – Eamon Dunphy praised his performance during the half-time analysis but, as usual, the RTÉ pundit was watching an entirely different game to us. He was ineffective and we forgot he was even on the pitch by the time he was replaced by Robbie Keane.
Jon Walters – Scored. Made a nuisance of himself. Played the Jon Walters role to perfection, in other words, but as with the rest of his team-mates his influence waned as the draw became more and more inevitable.
Daryl Murphy – Played a massive part in Ireland taking the lead – his header was saved by Marshall but Walters was on hand to score (from an offside position, but say nothing). Lively stuff from the Ipswich striker and he was better again in the second half, hassling and haranguing the Scottish defence until his race was run and he was hooked. Ireland’s joint best player with Brady.
Subs:
James McClean – How was he meant to influence the game with absolutely no support?
Robbie Keane – See James McClean.
Shane Long – See Robbie Keane.
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