IRELAND ARE MERCIFULLY still alive after this treacherous opening game of their World Cup qualifying campaign, dusting off the clay and ash tossed by the non-believers to rise again with a two-goal second half to rescue a dramatic draw.
Ireland started pitifully, a goal down after two minutes and two down after 16, but Evan Ferguson’s close-range finish early in the second half let loose a chaos at the Aviva that saw Hungary reduced to 10 men and stand tall beneath a long Irish siege that was finally broken in stoppage time by Adam Idah.
Ireland had to avoid defeat on the opening day against their main rivals for second spot and a play-off in this four-team group, and they chose the most maddening, fraught, exasperating, adrenal and thrilling route to that draw. Beats a 1-1.
The week-long blooming of confidence in this team also abides, for at the start of this game it appeared to be grounded not in reality but was instead a disguised kind of desperation.
The public – and perhaps the players themselves – have spent so long feeling sad and daunted about themselves that this was a week in which we could all just choose to feel something different. Beneath this lies a tragedy: there’s a vast public here, desperate to be carried away by their football team.
So what kind of football team throws away all of this wildly unearned emotional investment? This Irish team. Only the unforgivably sleepy fall behind within two minutes. Matt Doherty, starting out of position at left-back, stooped to head a cross into the danger area outside the Irish box, where Finn Azaz was too weak in losing his duel. Callum Styles then spooned the ball forward, where Dara O’Shea cumbrously allowed Barnabas Varga around him, who leaned back and rifled the ball beyond Caoimhín Kelleher. The Irish appeals for offside were forlorn: Doherty had been too slow to push up.
The Irish fans, who had been straining their voices to be heard beneath the usual thundering inanity blasting from the Aviva speakers, finally had the room to let loose a rumble and roar as the game kicked-off, and its last cries were left ringing in the silent air as Hungary scored.
Ireland were utterly scrambled, deciding to give Liverpool’s Milos Kerkez the freedom of the left flank to whip in a gorgeous cross that Barnabas Varga should have headed in at the back post. No matter for Hungary, who had their second goal by the 16th minute. Dominik Szoboszlai sauntered slowly to take a corner in front of the Irish fans, for which he was booed and reacted with a shrug of his shoulders. It’s your fault I’m not moving any quicker.
He eventually arced a corner onto the head of Roland Sallai, who had somehow been allowed to stride unmarked across the Irish box before heading beyond Kelleher. The review footage will be particularly unkind to Nathan Collins, who simply watched Sallai peel away from in front of him.
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Hallgrimsson cannot bear to watch after Ireland concede their second goal. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Ireland settled into bloodless possession from there, invited to do so by a Hungary side happy with their quick start. The Irish possession was painfully ineffective, however, becoming bogged down in front of the Hungarian block, consisting mostly of diagonals to Jake O’Brien, who used him like a five-a-side player would use the wall of a cage.
Hungary occasionally threatened on the counter, and when Doherty slipped and allowed Bendeguz Bolla in behind him, Kelleher had to save smartly to prevent Varga tapping in at the back post.
But just before the break, Evan Ferguson provided a flash of hope to our starved masses. Running on to a long ball by Dara O’Shea, Ferguson took the ball on his chest, took another two quick touches to get himself away from the scrambling defenders, and then fired a sweet volley at the Hungarian goalkeeper. It may not have been a goal, but it was a shot of optimism.
Maybe Ferguson could simply drag back Ireland into this on his own?
Yep.
The second half began with Ireland quickly countering from a Hungarian attack, with Jason Knight driving forward and playing the ball to Ferguson, who dropped his shoulder and beat Attila Szalai, who upended him with a late challenge. Manning fired the free-kick at the ‘keeper who could only parry, and Ireland kept the ball alive in the box until Feruson could touch and volley the ball into the net.
The thirsty crowd erupted and let loose a sense of madness that possessed the Hungarians too for, four minutes later, Roland Sallai raked his studs down Dara O’Shea’s achilles and was sent off. The Aviva at this stage threatened to bounce loose from the foundations and come back down to earth somewhere on the Northside. Amid all the madness, Hungary retained an admirable threat on the counter-attack, and Kelleher was thrice forced to block shots and maintain the mad momentum. Ireland didn’t attack in any way that might risk it either, eschewing their patient first-half passing and launching a series of crosses into the box. It was a high-volume, low-impact siege.
Hallgrimsson turned to his bench six minutes after the hour, swapping Cullen for Jack Taylor and introducing Chiedozie Ogbene to start running at Kerkez.
Ogbene’s first imapct was instead in the O’Brien role: he sprung to meet a Maning cross and squared a header for Azaz, whose close-range finish was superbly clawed away by Denis Dibusz.
Some team have passing triangles but Ireland have crossing triangles, and so the siege continued: Ireland would flight a cross to a giant at the back post for a square knockdown to the smaller guys deemed less dangerous by the Hungarian defence. Next to profit was Ogbene, who met an O’Shea knockdown with a volley that Dibusz parried to safety.
Hungary had renounced the counter-attack entirely by now, and Marco Rossi was hurling on subs to reinforce the front of war. Manning whipped another free-kick toward goal, which whizzed past the post with a deflection.
The Hungarian defence stood tall beneath an Irish bombardment that threw everything at their opponents aside from variation.
But, finally, in the second minute of six minutes stoppage time, Mikey Johnston provided a tiny spark of difference. He feigned to shoot but then stabbed the ball forward to Manning, whose pinpoint cross found Adam Idah rising highest to head beyond Dibusz.
Idah and co. sprinted to the corner to be folded into the ecstasy but quickly realised they had four more minutes to play against 10 men. They sprinted back to the centre circle and there was to be one last chance, but O’Shea headed narrowly over.
Ireland are still alive in this group. The rest of us got to feel what it’s like to be alive.
Republic of Ireland: Caoimhín Kelleher; Jake O’Brien, Nathan Collins (captain), Dara O’Shea, Matt Doherty (Chiedozie Ogbene, 66′); Finn Azaz (Adam Idah, 78′), Josh Cullen (Jack Taylor, 66′), Jason Knight (Kasey McAteer, 90′), Ryan Manning; Sammie Szmodics (Mikey Johnston, 78′), Evan Ferguson
Hungary: Denis Dibusz; Bendenguz Bolla (Atiila Mocsi, 66′); Loic Nego, Willi Orban, Attila Szalai; Callum Styles, Alex Toth (Bence Otvos,, 53′); Milos Kerkez (Zsolt Nagy, 79′); Dominik Szoboszlai (captain), Roland Sallai; Barnabas Varga (Barna Toth, 79′)
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Idah's dramatic late equaliser earns Ireland vital draw against 10-man Hungary
Republic of Ireland 2
Hungary 2
IRELAND ARE MERCIFULLY still alive after this treacherous opening game of their World Cup qualifying campaign, dusting off the clay and ash tossed by the non-believers to rise again with a two-goal second half to rescue a dramatic draw.
Ireland started pitifully, a goal down after two minutes and two down after 16, but Evan Ferguson’s close-range finish early in the second half let loose a chaos at the Aviva that saw Hungary reduced to 10 men and stand tall beneath a long Irish siege that was finally broken in stoppage time by Adam Idah.
Ireland had to avoid defeat on the opening day against their main rivals for second spot and a play-off in this four-team group, and they chose the most maddening, fraught, exasperating, adrenal and thrilling route to that draw. Beats a 1-1.
The week-long blooming of confidence in this team also abides, for at the start of this game it appeared to be grounded not in reality but was instead a disguised kind of desperation.
The public – and perhaps the players themselves – have spent so long feeling sad and daunted about themselves that this was a week in which we could all just choose to feel something different. Beneath this lies a tragedy: there’s a vast public here, desperate to be carried away by their football team.
So what kind of football team throws away all of this wildly unearned emotional investment? This Irish team. Only the unforgivably sleepy fall behind within two minutes. Matt Doherty, starting out of position at left-back, stooped to head a cross into the danger area outside the Irish box, where Finn Azaz was too weak in losing his duel. Callum Styles then spooned the ball forward, where Dara O’Shea cumbrously allowed Barnabas Varga around him, who leaned back and rifled the ball beyond Caoimhín Kelleher. The Irish appeals for offside were forlorn: Doherty had been too slow to push up.
The Irish fans, who had been straining their voices to be heard beneath the usual thundering inanity blasting from the Aviva speakers, finally had the room to let loose a rumble and roar as the game kicked-off, and its last cries were left ringing in the silent air as Hungary scored.
Ireland were utterly scrambled, deciding to give Liverpool’s Milos Kerkez the freedom of the left flank to whip in a gorgeous cross that Barnabas Varga should have headed in at the back post. No matter for Hungary, who had their second goal by the 16th minute. Dominik Szoboszlai sauntered slowly to take a corner in front of the Irish fans, for which he was booed and reacted with a shrug of his shoulders. It’s your fault I’m not moving any quicker.
He eventually arced a corner onto the head of Roland Sallai, who had somehow been allowed to stride unmarked across the Irish box before heading beyond Kelleher. The review footage will be particularly unkind to Nathan Collins, who simply watched Sallai peel away from in front of him.
Ireland settled into bloodless possession from there, invited to do so by a Hungary side happy with their quick start. The Irish possession was painfully ineffective, however, becoming bogged down in front of the Hungarian block, consisting mostly of diagonals to Jake O’Brien, who used him like a five-a-side player would use the wall of a cage.
Hungary occasionally threatened on the counter, and when Doherty slipped and allowed Bendeguz Bolla in behind him, Kelleher had to save smartly to prevent Varga tapping in at the back post.
But just before the break, Evan Ferguson provided a flash of hope to our starved masses. Running on to a long ball by Dara O’Shea, Ferguson took the ball on his chest, took another two quick touches to get himself away from the scrambling defenders, and then fired a sweet volley at the Hungarian goalkeeper. It may not have been a goal, but it was a shot of optimism.
Maybe Ferguson could simply drag back Ireland into this on his own?
Yep.
The second half began with Ireland quickly countering from a Hungarian attack, with Jason Knight driving forward and playing the ball to Ferguson, who dropped his shoulder and beat Attila Szalai, who upended him with a late challenge. Manning fired the free-kick at the ‘keeper who could only parry, and Ireland kept the ball alive in the box until Feruson could touch and volley the ball into the net.
The thirsty crowd erupted and let loose a sense of madness that possessed the Hungarians too for, four minutes later, Roland Sallai raked his studs down Dara O’Shea’s achilles and was sent off. The Aviva at this stage threatened to bounce loose from the foundations and come back down to earth somewhere on the Northside. Amid all the madness, Hungary retained an admirable threat on the counter-attack, and Kelleher was thrice forced to block shots and maintain the mad momentum. Ireland didn’t attack in any way that might risk it either, eschewing their patient first-half passing and launching a series of crosses into the box. It was a high-volume, low-impact siege.
Hallgrimsson turned to his bench six minutes after the hour, swapping Cullen for Jack Taylor and introducing Chiedozie Ogbene to start running at Kerkez.
Ogbene’s first imapct was instead in the O’Brien role: he sprung to meet a Maning cross and squared a header for Azaz, whose close-range finish was superbly clawed away by Denis Dibusz.
Some team have passing triangles but Ireland have crossing triangles, and so the siege continued: Ireland would flight a cross to a giant at the back post for a square knockdown to the smaller guys deemed less dangerous by the Hungarian defence. Next to profit was Ogbene, who met an O’Shea knockdown with a volley that Dibusz parried to safety.
Hungary had renounced the counter-attack entirely by now, and Marco Rossi was hurling on subs to reinforce the front of war. Manning whipped another free-kick toward goal, which whizzed past the post with a deflection.
The Hungarian defence stood tall beneath an Irish bombardment that threw everything at their opponents aside from variation.
But, finally, in the second minute of six minutes stoppage time, Mikey Johnston provided a tiny spark of difference. He feigned to shoot but then stabbed the ball forward to Manning, whose pinpoint cross found Adam Idah rising highest to head beyond Dibusz.
Idah and co. sprinted to the corner to be folded into the ecstasy but quickly realised they had four more minutes to play against 10 men. They sprinted back to the centre circle and there was to be one last chance, but O’Shea headed narrowly over.
Ireland are still alive in this group. The rest of us got to feel what it’s like to be alive.
Republic of Ireland: Caoimhín Kelleher; Jake O’Brien, Nathan Collins (captain), Dara O’Shea, Matt Doherty (Chiedozie Ogbene, 66′); Finn Azaz (Adam Idah, 78′), Josh Cullen (Jack Taylor, 66′), Jason Knight (Kasey McAteer, 90′), Ryan Manning; Sammie Szmodics (Mikey Johnston, 78′), Evan Ferguson
Hungary: Denis Dibusz; Bendenguz Bolla (Atiila Mocsi, 66′); Loic Nego, Willi Orban, Attila Szalai; Callum Styles, Alex Toth (Bence Otvos,, 53′); Milos Kerkez (Zsolt Nagy, 79′); Dominik Szoboszlai (captain), Roland Sallai; Barnabas Varga (Barna Toth, 79′)
Referee: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Attendance: 50,137
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