THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA consensus seems to be that Ireland deserved their win last night.
The Sarajevo Times suggests that aside from a spell early in the second half, the Bosnians didn’t put the Irish team under too much pressure, while pointing out that Ireland dictated the style of play with long balls aplenty.
Meanwhile, Bosnian publication Dnevni Avaz claims Bosnia were “deservedly” beaten by Ireland last night, branding their side’s performance as “disastrous”.
Writing in The Guardian, Paul Doyle compared Martin O’Neill favourably to previous manager Giovanni Trapattoni:
“Unlike under Trapattoni, who showed faith in a small core of players while those on the fringes were left to stew, O’Neill has fostered an inclusiveness that has meant even players not playing have stayed eager and been ready to fill gaps when summoned unexpectedly, as, for example, Cyrus Christie, Stephen Ward or Darren Randolph have shown.”
Speaking to BBC Sport, Miguel Delaney described Ireland as “the Stoke City of international football,” explaining:
“There’s no doubt that in terms of quality it’s probably our worst generation in 25 or 30 years.”
Daily Mail reporter Ian Ladyman described the game as Martin O’Neill’s “moment of triumph,” with his report adding:
“Here in Dublin, O’Neill’s team performed for him, they performed like him. They were dogged and cussed and determined and disciplined. O’Neill was all of these things back in the days when Brian Clough told him he was no good at Nottingham Forest. Later, he was all of these things as he took Leicester City to places nobody thought they could go.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Luke Edwards was similarly full of praise for Ireland, writing:
“The names on the team sheet — the absence of any players from top six Premier League clubs, the starting XI representatives from Derby County and Ipswich Town, along with West Ham’s reserve team goalkeeper — make them look lightweight, but they are capable of taking down heavyweight opposition.
“Bosnia were a dangerous side, but having out-played Ireland and failed to win in Zenica last Friday, they were swept aside in Dublin. The most impressive thing is Ireland delivered their best performance of the campaign when they were under the most pressure.”
Finally, La Gazzetta dello Sport described the Bosnians as “disappointing,” but praised the Irish defence and their flying wingers (“especially on the left”).
