AN EMPTINESS PERVADES. It fills up from the pit of the stomach, and for Republic of Ireland players and fans alike it poured out in the form of tears after the penalty shootout defeat to Czechia last night.
In the annals of Irish anguish, Prague takes top spot.
“I’m not seeing many positives right now because we’re in the gutter,” captain Nathan Collins said, reflecting on a World Cup dream that was coming closer to being realised as Ireland took control of the game from the first whistle.
A 2-0 lead by the 23rd minute was cut in half when Ryan Manning seemed to lose his bearings in the box and panicked with a pull back to concede a penalty.
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“I thought the way we started and went about it was unreal,” Collins said. “We took we took our two goals really well but the timing of conceding the first effects the game a lot. That’s tough to take.
“The timing of the first goal hurts because it gives them so much faith. The second one is so hard to take.”
That arrived late in the second half, four minutes before the end of normal time. Ireland had regrouped and remained steadfast defensively for the most part. This was one of Collins’ most assured performance at the heart of the defence, flanked either side by Dara O’Shea and Jake O’Brien.
But the concession of a cheap free kick by the right corner flag led to the Czechs drawing level. Captain Ladislav Krejci wasn’t picked up as he trotted from near the penalty spot towards the front post. Amid the glut of bodies he was able to get the decisive connection.
“Conceding from a set-piece always hurts. I feel like we should be a team that’s, we attack set-pieces really well, defending them is something we need to improve on and get better,” Collins said.
“I’d need to see the goal back to know what happened. It’s frustrating to concede a goal like that. I thought we defended really well and were in a good position. We played really well.
Maybe we could have put more pressure on them to create more, take momentum off them. I thought we played well and are in a good place.”
Collins had an early first-half shot that smashed the crossbar when the game was goalless. Jayson Molumby also struck the post in the second-half while Troy Parrott forced Matej Kovar into an impressive save.
The home side, even after the introduction of West Ham United’s Tomas Soucek during the interval, had been dealt with until that lapse in concentration from the set-piece.
“What we’ve created, the environment created with the fans and country, has been special,” Collins said.
“That’s something we need to keep growing, to get even better at. That can help us get better on the pitch. We can push that and get fans to more tournaments.”
The World Cup will not be one of them this summer. Instead of a play-off final against Denmark in Dublin on Tuesday, the game that must fill the void and satisfy a TV contract is a friendly with the other beaten semi-finalist, North Macedonia.
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“We still have to play it, nearly a thank you to the fans for what they’ve given us,” Collins said.
“The motivation has to be the same. We’ve to win to keep improving as a team and country. Any game we play at home is a big game for us and we need to win that.
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'I’m not seeing many positives right now because we’re in the gutter'
AN EMPTINESS PERVADES. It fills up from the pit of the stomach, and for Republic of Ireland players and fans alike it poured out in the form of tears after the penalty shootout defeat to Czechia last night.
In the annals of Irish anguish, Prague takes top spot.
“I’m not seeing many positives right now because we’re in the gutter,” captain Nathan Collins said, reflecting on a World Cup dream that was coming closer to being realised as Ireland took control of the game from the first whistle.
A 2-0 lead by the 23rd minute was cut in half when Ryan Manning seemed to lose his bearings in the box and panicked with a pull back to concede a penalty.
“I thought the way we started and went about it was unreal,” Collins said. “We took we took our two goals really well but the timing of conceding the first effects the game a lot. That’s tough to take.
“The timing of the first goal hurts because it gives them so much faith. The second one is so hard to take.”
That arrived late in the second half, four minutes before the end of normal time. Ireland had regrouped and remained steadfast defensively for the most part. This was one of Collins’ most assured performance at the heart of the defence, flanked either side by Dara O’Shea and Jake O’Brien.
But the concession of a cheap free kick by the right corner flag led to the Czechs drawing level. Captain Ladislav Krejci wasn’t picked up as he trotted from near the penalty spot towards the front post. Amid the glut of bodies he was able to get the decisive connection.
“Conceding from a set-piece always hurts. I feel like we should be a team that’s, we attack set-pieces really well, defending them is something we need to improve on and get better,” Collins said.
“I’d need to see the goal back to know what happened. It’s frustrating to concede a goal like that. I thought we defended really well and were in a good position. We played really well.
Maybe we could have put more pressure on them to create more, take momentum off them. I thought we played well and are in a good place.”
Collins had an early first-half shot that smashed the crossbar when the game was goalless. Jayson Molumby also struck the post in the second-half while Troy Parrott forced Matej Kovar into an impressive save.
The home side, even after the introduction of West Ham United’s Tomas Soucek during the interval, had been dealt with until that lapse in concentration from the set-piece.
“What we’ve created, the environment created with the fans and country, has been special,” Collins said.
“That’s something we need to keep growing, to get even better at. That can help us get better on the pitch. We can push that and get fans to more tournaments.”
The World Cup will not be one of them this summer. Instead of a play-off final against Denmark in Dublin on Tuesday, the game that must fill the void and satisfy a TV contract is a friendly with the other beaten semi-finalist, North Macedonia.
“We still have to play it, nearly a thank you to the fans for what they’ve given us,” Collins said.
“The motivation has to be the same. We’ve to win to keep improving as a team and country. Any game we play at home is a big game for us and we need to win that.
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FAI Nathan Collins Painful Republic Of Ireland Soccer world cup playoff