NATHAN COLLINS ATTEMPTED to remain defiant following defeat to the Netherlands while Adam Idah admitted Ireland’s failure to ‘cop on’ to their opponent’s system tweak at half-time proved costly.
The Dutch regrouped from one goal down to go into the interval all square and when Ronald Koeman introduced Wout Weghorst to lead the line, pushing his wingers either side high and wide to peg the home side back,
“They changed formation, we struggled to cop on to that and that’s when they scored their second goal. We’re just gutted that we didn’t get a point, if not three,” Idah said on Virgin Media afterwards.
Defensive teammate Collins praised Ireland’s intensity in the first 45 minutes and rued the team’s inability to capitalise on the momentum built up from the early goal.
“You are against one of the best teams in the world, there is no messing about. It’s just that decision making, taking the sting out of the game, maybe slowing it down a bit when they are on the ball, sit in, take the heat and then go again,” the centre back said.
“It’s just decision making, I think we need to learn from that. It’s just chances, we created so many from set plays as well. We created a lot from the high press. It’s a tough one, it’s annoying.
“I think everyone knows we were close with that performance. Putting in a performance against a top side like that, it’s very frustrating, but that’s football. It takes it out of you. It hurts, it hurts badly.”
Ireland remain on three points in Group B, trailing Greece by six as they now go head-to-head with the Dutch for runners-up spot.
“Obviously the table speaks for itself,” Collins added.
“We need to be proud of ourselves and go into the next game [when Greece come to Dublin in October] with a bit of pride and make amends for it. We can’t just let this now be it. We can’t just let it fade away.
“We put in so much work. We have gotten so close, we might as well carry it on, take that next step to push on and get better and beat teams at home. Finish teams off home and away, take our chances, learn from it and build a team who can beat anyone.”
The future of manager Stephen Kenny naturally now comes under the spotlight but Collins is steadfast in his support.
“100 per cent. I can’t put into words how much work they put in, every day and every hour. How many hours they watch other teams. Their whole lives have revolved around this week. He (Kenny) has given me my chance, he has put me in and has had belief in me, he is putting confidence in me and all of them. I can’t speak highly enough,” the Leixlip native said.
“I think the lads put everything into it, we made them very uncomfortable but they showed their quality and that is how they got their goal. We should have taken a few more chances in the first-half and it would have been a different game.
“But honestly, I am proud of that performance. We were good, we were strong, we were set-up well but we didn’t put our chances away.
“I think it is the standard of football. You have to take your chances, have to kill them off when you get the chance. We had chances in the first-half, I thought they were so uncomfortable in dealing with the press and we had the chances.”
