IT WAS A night to forget for Jordan Perez.
The Gibraltar goalkeeper shipped seven goals in 56 minutes as Ireland thrashed the Group D minnows in Dublin.
To make matters worse Perez was credited with Ireland’s fifth, a comedy own goal going in off his foot as he scrambled to retreat. For a man who fights fires for a living, it must have felt like business as usual.
Manager Allen Bula substituted him on the hour mark to put him out of his misery, and the Aviva Stadium crowd showed their sympathy with a standing ovation.
“I felt for him because they are not nice nights,” Ireland stopper David Forde said after keeping a clean sheet himself at the other end.
All of a sudden it’s like your whole world is caving in. The focus you feel is thoroughly on the keeper.
“He was disappointed afterwards, but we’ve all been there on the back of heavy defeats and not having good nights, but that makes you stronger.”
It was a quiet night as expected for Forde although he made one important save in the second half — with his head — to deny Joseph Chipolina.
It’s difficult sometimes in those games because it’s difficult to concentrate in any walk of life for 90 minutes so you gotta keep tuned in.
“You have your little drills, switching on and off when it’s up their end. But once it comes into your end or your final third that’s like a traffic light.”
“Clean sheets at international level are hard to come by,” he added, “so I’m absolutely delighted we kept a clean sheet and scored some goals.
“I think we probably stepped off the gas a bit in the second half with an eye on Tuesday [against Germany]. Hopefully it will give us a lot of confidence.”