IT IS A MEASURE of this bleak and hollow campaign that Ireland’s only achievement tonight would be to ensure this game was utterly unremarkable.
They held up their end of the bargain, strolling to a 4-0 win in which Matt Doherty and Jamie McGrath were the chief creative forces. Doherty created the first two goals and then scored the third, much of which owed to McGrath’s brilliant, contorted assist. McGrath then planted a fourth goal on Callum Robinson’s forehead.
This was the biggest competitive win of Stephen Kenny’s tenure, and likely the last. Ireland finish the campaign against the Netherlands next November and look highly, highly unlikely to fall into the warm embrace of the Nations League play-offs. Kenny is set to remain in charge for the denouement in Amsterdam, so tonight proved a brief moment of succour in this bleached, miserable epilogue to his reign.
There was some symbolism in tonight’s stage. Gibraltar’s ground is being rebuilt and they have decamped to the Estadio Algarve, which was where Ireland lost so thrillingly and sickeningly to Portugal in 2021. That game brimmed with what might be, but the brutal endgame foreshadowed what would never be.
Stephen Kenny’s starting line-up featured seven former League of Ireland players but no Nathan Collins, benched having been hooked at half-time against Greece. Kenny did retain faith with Matt Doherty, who repaid that trust by becoming the brain of tonight’s on-pitch operation.
He created Ireland’s opening goal after seven minutes, belatedly overlapping Chiedozie Ogbene down the right wing to cross to Evan Ferguson at the front post. The 18-year-old had ghosted off 40-year-old defender Roy Chipolina to volley smoothly in at the near post.
Kenny briefly shucked off the unbearable pressure to celebrate the goal as Gibraltar boss Julio Ribas shook and raged at the night sky.
Doherty created Ireland’s second goal too. Having snuck between a gap in the Gibraltar defence, he took a pass from Ogbene and hooked a cross across the box where Mikey Johnston turned the ball in at the second attempt, having seen his first effort bounce back off the post.
Johnston was apparently too shy on match minutes to start against Greece, but his dribbling ability and the fact he fizzles and cracks with energy means he brings qualities on which Ireland are desperately short. He almost scored a stunning goal before he did bundle home, jinking inside onto his right foot to let fly from outside the box. Gibraltar goalkeeper Dayle Coleing shuffled across hit goal to bat the ball away.
Gibraltar are one of the worst international teams in the world, but Ireland’s control of the game was total and they were reasonably effective in finding and pulling at the seams of their blanket defence. Most of that attacking work came down the right wing, where Ogbene and Doherty linked neatly. Coleing did make one smart save from Ferguson as the first-half wound down, sinking at the striker’s feet after Jamie McGrath danced along the endline and pulled the ball back.
Shortly after the second goal killed any lingering anxieties of an Irish nightmare, a lone voice among the 3,000 Irish fans broke into a chorus of Zombie. It didn’t catch on. This game was played beyond the borders of Rugby Country.
Shane Duffy should have made it 3-0 shortly after half-time, but volleyed wide having been found utterly unmarked by Johnston’s corner. Next to miss was Jason Knight, planting his diving header wide having been picked out by McGrath.
On the hour mark, it fell to Doherty to do what his team-mates couldn’t. Johnston’s corner was acrobatically – and brilliantly – flicked onwards by McGrath, and Doherty stooped to score from a couple of yards out.
Stephen Kenny emptied his bench and it yielded a fourth goal with 10 minutes of normal time left. The influential McGrath swung in another sweet cross from the left to meet Callum Robinson, who nodded the ball over Coleing. The goal was confirmed after a truly interminable VAR delay.
Manning almost gilded stoppage time with an audacious strike from just over the halfway line as goalkeeper Coleing scrambled back into his goal, but the ball skidded sadly wide.
Not that it mattered. If only life was always this straight forward.
Gibraltar: Dayle Coleing; Aymen Mouelhi, Roy Chipolina, John Sergeant, Jayce Olivero (Lee Casciaro, 68′); Liam Walker, Louie Annesley, Nicholas Pozo (Jamie Coombes, 68′); Ethan Britto, Tjay De Barr (Ayoub El Hmidi, 68′), Kian Ronan
Republic of Ireland: Gavin Bazunu; Matt Doherty, Shane Duffy (captain), Liam Scales (Dara O’Shea, 73′), Ryan Manning; Josh Cullen (Jayson Molumby, 73′), Jason Knight; Chiedozie Ogbene (Mark Sykes, 81′), Jamie McGrath, Mikey Johnston (Callum Robinson, 65′); Evan Ferguson (Adam Idah, 65′)
Referee: Christian-Petru Ciochirca (AUT)
Written by Gavin Cooney and posted on the42.ie
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