Euro 2024 qualifier, Group B:
Republic of Ireland 3 (Johnston 52, Ferguson 59, Idah 90) Gibraltar 0
The Republic of Ireland needed a full hour to break Gibraltar. Little else needs saying. Plenty more must be told.
The performance can be glossed over by Evan Ferguson scoring his second goal from just six internationals in between Mikey Johnston and Adam Idah opening their accounts in a green shirt.
Perhaps the most depressing statistic Irish football supporters will ever know came into existence at about 8.45pm. Across 22 European Championship qualifiers Gibraltar have managed to reach half-time without conceding a goal just twice. The John Delaney match on The Rock in 2019 and this night at the Aviva stadium.
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From 78 internationals, Gibraltar now have eight wins, nine draws and 61 defeats. They lie 201st on the Fifa charts yet it took Ireland a nervy period of hit-and-hope football to chisel out that 61st defeat.
These were damning numbers for Ireland manager Stephen Kenny until Johnston blasted to an open net in the 52nd minute after Will Smallbone’s free-kick ricocheted into the Gibraltar wall and wrong footed goalkeeper Dayle Coleing.
A lucky goal for an unlucky gaffer, Ferguson secured the three points seven minutes later when the 18-year-old leaped higher than Dundalk defender Louie Annessley to head home a James McClean cross. Ferguson celebrated by blasting the ball high into the East stand as 42,156 people exhaled.
Kenny reacted like Ireland had qualified for next summer’s Euros in Germany. It’s been another bad week for the 51-year-old. He needed to cut loose.
The sluggish opening 30 minutes forced Kenny and Keith Andrews into conclave. What do we do now? Where do we go from here? The answer is increasingly obvious. Send on ‘Jinky’ Johnston and hope for the best.
The rattle of a cow bell broke through the chatty din of fed up Irish fans. By the end, their loyalty shone through in jubilant fashion.
Not much changed since Friday’s slovenly outing in Athens despite a healthy turnout at the Aviva stadium on a glorious Monday in June. All the ingredients were waiting to be cooked into a rudimentary Irish win. Among them was James McClean winning his 100th cap and being given the captaincy for the night.
Here was a perfect opportunity to showcase the technical advancements Kenny has mentioned many, many times as McClean and Jason Knight had the run of either flank. The wingers were charged with unlocking the part-timers, that included a mechanical engineering student at Loughborough University and a customs officer among their ranks.
Easy fodder, even for an Irish team with three players beginning next season in the third tier of English football? Greece, The Netherlands and most recently France rattled off 3-0 victories over the British overseas territory (population: 32,669). Ireland got there in the end.
But unconvincingly so, as a hapless midfield failed to fracture Gibraltar coach Julio Ribas’ two banks of defenders, which prompted Nathan Collins to take control. The Wolves centre half would look up and see six teammates standing still or at best trotting away from him. So he would recycle possession before a wing back found space near the sideline.
McClean ballooned a few crosses while Knight created a snap shot for Jamie McGrath and almost picked out Michael Obafemi for an easy finish.
It took until the 30th minute before McClean whipped a ball onto Ferguson’s head but the striker made a poor connection. Next time.
Roy Chipolina’s injury on 40 minutes forced a water break that had Kenny gesticulating for McGrath to push closer to goal. Sure enough McGrath sprinted beyond McClean at the resumption of play, taking the ball in stride before glancing up and deciding to stop, turn and pass sideway for another McClean cross to nowhere.
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McGrath did draw a save from Coleing, one of five Lincoln Red Imps on display in Dublin on a famous night for the six-time Gibraltar national champions.
The boos didn’t exactly ring around the Aviva at half-time but they could be heard. Perhaps they would be louder if so many people were not already gone for a pint. Gibraltar ran out of energy as much as Josh Cullen and the Irish midfield forced themselves onto this occasion.
So, onwards limps this long period of regeneration for Irish football, moving to September where France await in Paris before the Dutch seek to settle an old score at Lansdowne Road.
Ireland: Bazunu (Southampton); Collins (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Egan (Sheffield United), O’Shea (West Bromwich Albion); Knight (Derby County), Smallbone (Southampton), Cullen (Burnley), McGrath (Wigan Atheltic), McClean (Wigan Athletic); Ferguson (Brighton & Hove Albion), Obafemi (Burnley). Subs: Johnston (Celtic) for Collins (half-time), Parrott (Tottenham Hotspur) for Obafemi (57), Browne (Preston North End) for Smallbone (72), Idah (Norwich City) for Ferguson, Hendrick (Reading) for Knight (both 84)
Gibraltar: Coleing (Lincoln); Sergeant (Lincoln), Chipolina (Glacis United), Bernardo Lopes (Lincoln), Annesley (Dundalk), Olivero (Europa); Ronan (Lincoln), Pozo (Cádiz), Hartman (Loughborough University), Britto (Lincoln); El Hmidi (St Joseph’s). Subs: Mouelhy (St Joseph’s) for Chipolina (43), De Barr (Wycombe Wanderers) for El Hmidi, Wiseman (Lincoln) for Sergeant (both half-time), Jolley for Pozo (68), Ballantine (Bruno’s Magpies) for Britto (73)
Referee: Marian Alexandru Barbu (Romania).
