Rep. of Ireland 2 - 1 FYR Macedonia
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
Watch Video Interviews with Keith Fahey, Aiden McGeady, Robbie Keane, Kieren Westwood and Shane Long
Goals from Aiden McGeady and Robbie Keane secured the points for the Republic of Ireland as they overcame the modest challenge of Macedonia at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday night and climbed back into joint leadership of Euro qualifying Group B.
Ireland could not have hoped for a better start to what had been built up as something of a potential banana skin for Giovanni Trapattoni’s men. Ireland’s recent unsuccessful history against the Macedonians, enriched as it is by tales of the mythic orange bib, gave the pre- match atmosphere a dark and foreboding quality. But within two minutes Ireland had scored and, within a few minutes more, the opposition were shown to be deeply vulnerable.
The goal came from as sweet a strike as Aiden McGeady will hit all year. Kevin Doyle had controlled the ball with his back to goal and slipped a pass to McGeady on the left. The winger began to run at Shikov before ducking inside and unleashing a shot from twenty yards that flew past Nuredinoski and into the net.
Ireland maintained this early pressure with McGeady and Damien Duff looking sharp and ambitious on the wings while Robbie Keane and Doyle snapped about in the middle when they didn’t have the ball and used it well when they did.
With six minutes played Duff took a speculative shot at the Macedonian goal that ‘keeper Nuredinoski spilled, almost allowing Doyle to capitalise. It was an error that would be repeated later with more devastating consequences.
Ireland might have added a second in the eleventh minute when another McGeady run forced the visiting defence into retreat. As he approached the box the ball was played left into space for Kevin Kilbane to run onto and the veteran met it with a first time cross to the back post. Doyle rose highest, knocking a ball back across the six yard box that Keane very nearly touched in at the back post.
Doyle was forced to leave the field four minutes later after an innocuous challenge from Noveski but Ireland kept pressing forwards and were rewarded in the 21st minute when a vicious free kick from Darron Gibson was aimed squarely at Nuredinoski who once again spilled the ball. This time Robbie Keane was waiting and with admirable reflexes had the ball in the net before the goalkeeper could properly recover.
The remainder of the first half was little more than a stroll for Trapattoni’s men and although the pace sagged and the volume of attacking play shrank, there was never much threat from a Macedonian side that largely failed to bring their one genuine star, Goran Pandev, into the game. That is, until the 45th minute when Pandev opened up the Irish defence with a low pass into the feet of Trichkovski who turned Richard Dunne on the edge of the box and clipped a shot past Keiran Westwood and into the Irish goal.
How exactly Trapattoni reacted in the half time dressing room, we will never know, but it wouldn’t take a genius to guess the gist of it. An early run from Trichkovski in the second half might have helped the message on, as Ireland adjusted to the position of narrow rather than comprehensive leaders. But an unchallenged shot from Pandev two minutes later led to vocal reminder from the crowd not to throw this away.
Macedonia were always a more effective proposition in the second half but slowly the Irish team rebuilt the platform of their superiority and Duff was inches away from restoring their two goal lead on 58 minutes when he drilled a shot just past Nuredinoski’s far post having got on the end of a McGeady cross.
Ireland came close again in the 64th minute when Duff reclaimed a ball from full back Popov in a tackle worthy of the late great Bobby Moore. He then set Keane away whose intended pass through to McGeady would have led to either a goal or a legendary miss, but a minute deflection guided the ball to Nuredinoski’s hands.
Occasionally Macedonia broke and Trichkovski was able to demonstrate his ability to run at a defence but the greatest danger to the men in green seemed to be the tiring legs of Dunne. As the game went on he looked more and more drained as Pandev and then Trichkovski evaded his attention. With just 15 minutes left it was Trichkovski who should have equalised, drifting away from Dunne to meet a chip forward from Demiri. From only eight yards out he should have done better than shoot straight at Westwood.
But Trapattoni’s men remained the more ambitious and the final ten minutes might have seen Goran Popov sent off for one of several desperate tackles on Long and Duff. Duff might have added a third when he got on the end of Long’s scrambled pass and fired at goal from 15 yardsbut Grncharov’s right boot did it’s best work of the night, deflecting the ball narrowly wide.
Then, with three minutes left, came possibly the biggest cheer of the night as James McCarthy nailed his colours officially to the Irish mast, replacing captain Robbie Keane in an appearance that was little more than symbolic.
Pandev almost worked an opening for Trichkovski in added time and Long might have had a penalty as he crashed to earth right in front of referee, Istvan Vad. But the bell rang out in the South stand as Ireland played out the final moments to claim a crucial three points in Group B.
Rep Ireland: Keiran Westwood; Kevin Foley, Richard Dunne, Darren O’Dea, Kevin Kilbane; Damien Duff, Glenn Whelan, Darron Gibson (Keith Fahey, 77), Aiden McGeady; Robbie Keane (James McCarthy, 87), Kevin Doyle (Shane Long, 20).
Subs not used: David Forde, Stephen Kelly, Ciaran Clark, Liam Lawrence.
Bookings: Westwood (48), Dunne (66), Gibson (70).
Sendings Off: None.
Macedonia: Edin Nuredinovski; Vanche Shikov, Goran Popov, Nikolche Noveski, Boban Grncharov; Veliche Shumulikoski, Muhamed Demiri (Slavcho Georgievski, 84), Darko Tasevski (Maurio Gjurovski, 61), Ivan Trichkovski; Goran Pandev, Ilcho Naumoski (Stevica Risticj, 68).
Subs not used: Martin Bogatinov, Igor Metreski, Filip Despotovski, Aleksandar Lazevski.
Bookings: Grncharov (49), Popov (57).
Sendings Off: None.
extratime.ie Man of the Match: Aiden McGeady
Referee: Istvan Vad (Hungary).
Attendance: 32,000 (estimate).
Goals from Aiden McGeady and Robbie Keane secured the points for the Republic of Ireland as they overcame the modest challenge of Macedonia at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday night and climbed back into joint leadership of Euro qualifying Group B.
Ireland could not have hoped for a better start to what had been built up as something of a potential banana skin for Giovanni Trapattoni’s men. Ireland’s recent unsuccessful history against the Macedonians, enriched as it is by tales of the mythic orange bib, gave the pre- match atmosphere a dark and foreboding quality. But within two minutes Ireland had scored and, within a few minutes more, the opposition were shown to be deeply vulnerable.
The goal came from as sweet a strike as Aiden McGeady will hit all year. Kevin Doyle had controlled the ball with his back to goal and slipped a pass to McGeady on the left. The winger began to run at Shikov before ducking inside and unleashing a shot from twenty yards that flew past Nuredinoski and into the net.
Ireland maintained this early pressure with McGeady and Damien Duff looking sharp and ambitious on the wings while Robbie Keane and Doyle snapped about in the middle when they didn’t have the ball and used it well when they did.
With six minutes played Duff took a speculative shot at the Macedonian goal that ‘keeper Nuredinoski spilled, almost allowing Doyle to capitalise. It was an error that would be repeated later with more devastating consequences.
Ireland might have added a second in the eleventh minute when another McGeady run forced the visiting defence into retreat. As he approached the box the ball was played left into space for Kevin Kilbane to run onto and the veteran met it with a first time cross to the back post. Doyle rose highest, knocking a ball back across the six yard box that Keane very nearly touched in at the back post.
Doyle was forced to leave the field four minutes later after an innocuous challenge from Noveski but Ireland kept pressing forwards and were rewarded in the 21st minute when a vicious free kick from Darron Gibson was aimed squarely at Nuredinoski who once again spilled the ball. This time Robbie Keane was waiting and with admirable reflexes had the ball in the net before the goalkeeper could properly recover.
The remainder of the first half was little more than a stroll for Trapattoni’s men and although the pace sagged and the volume of attacking play shrank, there was never much threat from a Macedonian side that largely failed to bring their one genuine star, Goran Pandev, into the game. That is, until the 45th minute when Pandev opened up the Irish defence with a low pass into the feet of Trichkovski who turned Richard Dunne on the edge of the box and clipped a shot past Keiran Westwood and into the Irish goal.
How exactly Trapattoni reacted in the half time dressing room, we will never know, but it wouldn’t take a genius to guess the gist of it. An early run from Trichkovski in the second half might have helped the message on, as Ireland adjusted to the position of narrow rather than comprehensive leaders. But an unchallenged shot from Pandev two minutes later led to vocal reminder from the crowd not to throw this away.
Macedonia were always a more effective proposition in the second half but slowly the Irish team rebuilt the platform of their superiority and Duff was inches away from restoring their two goal lead on 58 minutes when he drilled a shot just past Nuredinoski’s far post having got on the end of a McGeady cross.
Ireland came close again in the 64th minute when Duff reclaimed a ball from full back Popov in a tackle worthy of the late great Bobby Moore. He then set Keane away whose intended pass through to McGeady would have led to either a goal or a legendary miss, but a minute deflection guided the ball to Nuredinoski’s hands.
Occasionally Macedonia broke and Trichkovski was able to demonstrate his ability to run at a defence but the greatest danger to the men in green seemed to be the tiring legs of Dunne. As the game went on he looked more and more drained as Pandev and then Trichkovski evaded his attention. With just 15 minutes left it was Trichkovski who should have equalised, drifting away from Dunne to meet a chip forward from Demiri. From only eight yards out he should have done better than shoot straight at Westwood.
But Trapattoni’s men remained the more ambitious and the final ten minutes might have seen Goran Popov sent off for one of several desperate tackles on Long and Duff. Duff might have added a third when he got on the end of Long’s scrambled pass and fired at goal from 15 yardsbut Grncharov’s right boot did it’s best work of the night, deflecting the ball narrowly wide.
Then, with three minutes left, came possibly the biggest cheer of the night as James McCarthy nailed his colours officially to the Irish mast, replacing captain Robbie Keane in an appearance that was little more than symbolic.
Pandev almost worked an opening for Trichkovski in added time and Long might have had a penalty as he crashed to earth right in front of referee, Istvan Vad. But the bell rang out in the South stand as Ireland played out the final moments to claim a crucial three points in Group B.
Rep Ireland: Keiran Westwood; Kevin Foley, Richard Dunne, Darren O’Dea, Kevin Kilbane; Damien Duff, Glenn Whelan, Darron Gibson (Keith Fahey, 77), Aiden McGeady; Robbie Keane (James McCarthy, 87), Kevin Doyle (Shane Long, 20).
Subs not used: David Forde, Stephen Kelly, Ciaran Clark, Liam Lawrence.
Bookings: Westwood (48), Dunne (66), Gibson (70).
Sendings Off: None.
Macedonia: Edin Nuredinovski; Vanche Shikov, Goran Popov, Nikolche Noveski, Boban Grncharov; Veliche Shumulikoski, Muhamed Demiri (Slavcho Georgievski, 84), Darko Tasevski (Maurio Gjurovski, 61), Ivan Trichkovski; Goran Pandev, Ilcho Naumoski (Stevica Risticj, 68).
Subs not used: Martin Bogatinov, Igor Metreski, Filip Despotovski, Aleksandar Lazevski.
Bookings: Grncharov (49), Popov (57).
Sendings Off: None.
extratime.ie Man of the Match: Aiden McGeady
Referee: Istvan Vad (Hungary).
Attendance: 32,000 (estimate).
About Simon O'Gorman
Simon O'Gorman began reporting for Extratime in 2010. He remembers Milltown and Flower Lodge and, back in the mists of time, saw Diego Maradona play at Lansdowne Road. He now lives in Co Kildare and … View Full Profile