STEPHEN KENNY PROMISED there would be no slow death: instead he got a heroic and undeserving one.
But sadly it’s the guys who wield the knife who set these terms, and Stephen Kenny has cause to wonder whether his side were tonight assailed by the back-to-back world champions or whatever Gods they have so mortally offended.
Josh Cullen’s giveaway on the edge of the box four minutes after half-time was punished by an alliance of Benjamin Pavard and these malign, unrelenting fates: his snap shot was stunning and yet another which Ireland conceded from long range. It’s 10 goals now since the start of 2021… nobody in world football is conceding at this rate.
Ireland’s response was magnificent and they deserved to equalise, only Mike Maignan’s astonishing, full-length save from Nathan Collins in the final minute of regulation time denied Ireland a deserved draw.
The crowd allowed the disappointment to soak through before raising in acclimation of the Irish performance: the result should be tempered by the fact this was a performance good enough to suggest Ireland can catch the Netherlands for second spot. So much of it was to be admired: Ireland were Olympian in their discipline until Cullen’s brutally punished giveaway and from there they showed no fear in assailing the France. Several players made a mockery of their status: that Chiedozie Ogbene is in a Championship relegation battle is an insult to him. Jayson Molumby came of age, Seamus Coleman and Evan Ferguson made light of their respective ages, the captain in shackling Kylian Mbappe.
And above all it proved that this is a well-coached Irish team that has the players’ full buy-in: their manager’s idealistic streak should not be written off as lacking pragmatism.
For the first half was more ice than fire, as Ireland furrowed their brow, folded together, and did the exhaustive, diligent work of denying France any space; the flinty stuff that this team hasn’t fetishised in the way some of their predecessors have.
Chiedozie Ogbene partnered Evan Ferguson up front but for much of the night he leaned on his days as a right wing-back at Rotherham, tracking the touchline-hugging runs of Theo Hernandez to allow Seamus Coleman Concentrate on Kylian.
Ireland were not cut open and instead the French passing grew loose and imprecise, but part of that was down to Ireland’s razor-sharp minds. Toward the end of the half, Adrien Rabiot tried to send Hernandez but overcooked his pass over the endline: Rabiot put too much on it as he saw Ogbene had matched Hernandez stride-for-stride. Coleman instantly embraced Ogbene and gave him one of those finger-jabbing, accusatory acclaims in which only football trades.
Ireland’s shape meant France got few sights of goal: Antoine Griezmann headed a Benjamin Pavard cross into the side-netting, while Ireland were almost caught out by a raking ball over the top to Randal Kolo Muani: Bazunu did enough to force the forward wide and Collins careened into his back-pass for Rabiot and thwacked the ball clear.
If you’re being picky about the first-half, Ireland lacked the kind of counter-punch they had against Portugal in Faro a couple of years ago. Many of their first-half attacks were football’s equivalent of line-breaks: first by Matt Doherty down the left and then Jayson Molumby. Otherwise they played a kind of territory with Ogbene pinning Hernandez and then running onto balls in the channels, twice winning cheap free-kicks.
The loss of Callum O’Dowda was significant: Kenny heralded his pace a few days ago and Ireland missed that kind of thrust from wing-back.
But Ireland, unlike other sides in Europe, Ireland are not only subject to the opposition but also their own, very specific brand of ostentatious bad luck. And lo it came to pass four minutes after the break. It stemmed from a mistake, of course: Josh Cullen’s square pass on the edge of his box was fatefully behind Jason Knight. Benjamin Pavard pounced and then languidly cut a shot from outside the box off the underside of the bar and into the net. Of the last seven goals Ireland have conceded at the Aviva Stadium, five of them have been from long-range.
Ireland, to their great credit, responded with some of their best football of the match. Knight instantly saw a shot deflected behind for a corner, while a few minutes later Ireland carved the French open down right: again Chieo streaked clear of Theo, whose pull-back found Knight. His shot, however, was blocked by the recovering Griezmann, who remains a kind of international football cheat code. No man with blazing pink hair should be expected to work so hard.
With 13 minutes to go, Kenny pushed the button marked Let’s Go For This. Alan Browne, Mikey Johnston, and James McClean followed Adam Idah’s introduction, and Ireland threw everything they had at the French. Molumby’s shot was blocked behind for a corner, McClean’s fizzing shot was pushed around the post by Maignan, and Browne sent a volley fizzing agonisingly across goal.
The deserved goal almost came in the final minute of normal time. The French defence, the stadium, time itself seemed to stand still as Nathan Collins rose to meet a corner unhindered at the back post…everyone expect Mike Maignan, who flung himself into the air and somehow clawed away the ball.
Collins was still hurling curses at the sky at full-time.
The auguries are good.
Republic of Ireland: Gavin Bazunu; Nathan Collins, John Egan, Dara O’Shea (Alan Browne, 77′); Seamus Coleman (captain); Josh Cullen, Jason Knight, (Mikey Johnston, 77′) Jayson Molumby (Michael Obafemi, 85′); Matt Doherty (James McClean, 77′); Evan Ferguson (Adam Idah, 64′), Chiedozie Ogbene
France: Mike Maignan; Benjamin Pavard (Jules Kounde, 80′), Ibrahima Konate, Dayot Upamecano, Theo Hernandez; Eduardo Camavinga, Adrien Rabiot (Aurelien Tchouameni, 81′); Randal Kolo Muani, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe (captain); Olivier Giroud (Moussa Diaby, 64′)
Referee: Artur Dias (POR)
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