Andorra 0 - 2 Rep of Ireland
Credit:
Seeing as we’re continually told there are no easy games in international football nowadays perhaps it was apt for the Republic of Ireland to waltz their way to victory against Andorra when there was no favour forthcoming from Zilina.
Although Russia’s 1-0 against Slovakia had partially taken some of the fizz out of the claustrophobic occasion in the compact surroundings of Estadi Communal, the remit for Giovanni Trapattoni’s side, afterwards as beforehand, stated they must do their own dirty work in their final two fixtures of Euro 2012 Qualifying Group B.
In that last series of matches, Russia should see off the Andorrans in Moscow to seal their automatic qualification for a place in Poland and the Ukraine, leaving Ireland and Armenia to battle it out for second place, with Slovakia now eliminated. When the tills were counted to assess the end of day’s takings, particularly after the in-form Armenians brushed Macedonia aside 4-1 earlier in the day, a draw in Dublin on Tuesday will be enough to secure a play-off place.
By the time the final whistle had tooted in Zilina, Ireland had already established a two-goal cushion in the principality. After pressing the case from the off, Kevin Doyle hooked in from inside the six-yard box on just seven minutes from John O’Shea’s knock down when Marc Garcia had cleared off the line to deny Robbie Keane.
Then, on 20 minutes, Aiden McGeady did the spade work for the second. All week there had been utterances from the Irish camp at the need for variation in dead ball situations. When a Keith Andrews strike was initially blocked by Christian Martinez, who earned a caution for his encroachment, the re-take saw Glenn Whelan slip the ball to McGeady on the left. The Spartak Moscow winger’s connection wasn’t as clean as it might’ve been, which enabled Josep Gomes to save, only for the rebound to deflect in off the hapless Marcio Vieria.
However, with Shay Given, Richard Dunne and the Irish defence having in endure one of their most hectic outings last month at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow in the scoreless draw with Russia, the Irish goalkeeper and his back four, who were missing the suspended Aston Villa defender, enjoyed a more pedestrian evening.
Ireland laid down their mark when Doyle tested Gomes in the first 30 seconds and his strike partner Keane, after an initial save from Gomes, struck the crossbar from his second bite of the cheery before the fourth minute had even been reached. The onslaught continued and was rewarded when Doyle scored the opening goal.
Seventeen minutes in, Andorra shaped a decent opening when Garcia stole around the back and got a free header to Sergi Monero’s free-kick and although the effort flew comfortably over the crossbar, Given could be heard barking his displeasure into the thin night air.
With two goals in the back, Ireland could go about their business a little more leisurely but one thing that will surely infuriate Trapattoni was Stephen Ward’s 30th minute booking, which rules him out of the Armenian encounter. The yellow card was needlessly accumulated when the Wolverhampton Wanderers full-back was found guilty of diving over the challenge of Alexandre Martinez.
Marc Garcia speculatively tried to shoot past Given from half-way from a free-kick, although his optimism was not rewarded as the shot flew over and Ildefons Lima’s pop at the 117-time capped netminder was saved on the stroke of half-time.
When Jack Charlton’s team infamously were held to a scoreless draw against Liechtenstein in 1995, it was satirically noted in the tabloids that “Ireland slipped on the ski slope.” Against Andorra, the opposition was different although the surroundings were similar, with the Andorra La Vella, part of the overlooking Pyrenees.
Andorra sit 203rd and joint last in the Fifa World Rankings alongside Samoa, American Samoa, Monserrat and San Marino. But the difficulty Ireland had in disposing of the latter in 2007, when Stephen Ireland scored a stoppage-time winner, made for an element of trepidation, with the Irish management in particular talking up the minnows, who had lost 32 consecutive matches dating back to 2006. But a good start saw those fears evaporate.
Despite their interval advantage, Ireland’s promising start had become scraggly. Ball retention, again, wasn’t what it might’ve been and the temptation to go long was an overused and underachieving policy.
Darren O’Dea hooked over seven minutes into the second half, as well as an effort from McGeady and a Sergi Moreno tickler that was easily saved by Given at the other end, the pattern that the first half concluded in spilled into the second. After long spells of inactivity, O’Dea went close again when his header from a Damien Duff corner flew just over the crossbar. Substitute Shane Long then saw a header go wide from Keane’s centre five minutes from the end and although the enthusiastic Irish supporters tried to lift things, it was a bit of a damp squib.
Whelan and Doyle were pulled ashore to avoid a possible suspension and an eighth clean sheet on the bounce will also satisfy Trapattoni.If that run can stretch to nine then Ireland will be in Thursday’s play-off draw. In Andorra it was a case of getting the job done and for doing that Ireland deserve credit. At least they didn’t slip on that ski slope again.
Republic of Ireland: Shay Given; John O’Shea, Sean St Ledger, Darren O’Dea, Stephen Ward; Aiden McGeady, Keith Andrews, Glenn Whelan (Keith Fahey 65), Damien Duff (Stephen Hunt 75); Robbie Keane, Kevin Doyle (Shane Long 72).
Subs not used: David Forde, Stephen Kelly, Simon Cox, Liam lawrence
Andorra: Josep Gomes; Alexandre Martinez (Ivan Lorenzo 79), Marc Garcia, Ildefons Lima (Oscar Sonejee 81), Marc Bernaus; Christian Martinez, Josep Ayala, Marcio Vieria, Sergi Monero; Marc Pujol, Fernando Silva
Subs not used: Ivan Perianez, Juli Sanchez, Carlos Peppe, Sebastia Gomez, Marc Garcia.
Referee: Libor Kovarik (Czech Republic).
