IT MAY have been a win, but Dara O’Shea clearly wasn’t happy.
In his post-match interview lasting just over three minutes, he used the words ‘disappointing’ and ‘disappointed’ six times.
It was just Ireland’s second win from six matches in the Nations League campaign but the post-match mood was far from celebratory.
Stephen Kenny’s side appeared to be coasting as they led 2-0 in the second half before Armenia brought the game level out of nothing, as the hosts were stunned by two goals in three minutes.
“I suppose I’m glad we won the game but disappointed with how it went,” he told reporters. “There was a spell there for 15 minutes where we just completely lost our way and they got two goals back, which is really disappointing because we want to keep clean sheets.
“Playing against better opposition and to compete against them, we’ve got to keep clean sheets. To concede two goals like that against the run of play, it was disappointing that we weren’t set up in the right way and we kind of just lost our way for a bit.”
And what does he put it down to?
“Just complacency, I think. Obviously, it was a game where they dropped deep and we had lots of possession and we were attacking a lot. Maybe we were too attacking at some stage, trying to get an extra goal when the game could have been won at 2-0 if we’d just managed the game better. I’d probably put it down to that.”
O’Shea was to the fore amid the game’s climactic moment, as it was the defender’s shot that led to the handball from which Ireland scored their match-winning penalty.
“I knew straight away that it hit his hand, you just don’t know if they are going to give it because he is so close. I suppose it was a relief to have that chance to get back ahead.
“I thought initially when it happened that it had to be [a penalty] because it was on target and his hand was away from his body. So I thought it had to be. Then obviously we saw it and the crowd’s reaction as well, it obviously made it hard for the referee not to give it.
“I think us as players, we weren’t too happy, even though we won the game, because we are all top players and we want to play against the best teams. To concede two goals against a team that we should be beating comfortably isn’t the best.”
There was a slight sense of deja vu from the sides’ meeting in Yerevan when Armenia earned a surprise 1-0 win, as it was the matchwinner from June — Eduard Spertsyan — whose long-range shot found the net for the second goal.
“It’s kind of been our downfall, I suppose, shots from outside the box. We are just really disappointed with how we performed for those 15 minutes. It kind of spoils a good performance, as such.”
O’Shea, however, played down talk of the campaign ending on a sour note.
“I don’t think we can look at it as a downer. We won the game, which was the main thing. It’s just us, as ourselves, as professional as we want to be, we want to win more comfortably than that.
“All in all the campaign probably didn’t go the way we wanted it to go. We probably didn’t get what we deserved either with the performances we put in. But it’s something to build on going into the friendlies in November and then the start of the Euro campaign.”
He also dismissed suggestions the lack of ruthlessness on display tonight was down to the team’s relative inexperience, with Kenny again opting for a number of young players in the starting XI.
“I don’t think it will come down to the youthful aspect of it. Obviously, we are all experienced in the games we play at club level too. It’s a collective, as a team. We have got to look at ourselves and obviously, it’s disappointing. I’m trying to find words to describe it other than it being disappointed to concede those goals. But we are still glad we’ve got the win and it’s three points.”