IT WAS NOT really a dirty game at Tallaght Stadium last night, yet Ireland still managed to pick up six yellow cards and one red ultimately.
Boss Stephen Kenny was particularly bemused, after German referee Sascha Stegemann opted to dismiss Troy Parrott in the second half.
The 17-year-old Spurs youngster pushed Moise Kean in a heated moment. The Everton player then retaliated by pushing him back and Parrott fell to the ground.
Kean, a half-time substitute, had been on the pitch for less than 20 minutes when he was shown a straight red card over the incident, while the Irish striker was handed a second yellow and subsequently walked too.
“I thought it was quite harsh really,” Kenny said. “I wasn’t expecting it. I didn’t get a great view of it, but he didn’t seem to do a lot really. He was trying to take the free kick quickly, just trying to get on the ball. Troy’s an attacking player. His attitude is exemplary really. He carries himself brilliantly. I don’t know if he’s ever been sent off. I think it’s quite unfortunate. The double blow is that it rules him out of our game in Iceland on Tuesday, which is a big blow.
When they sent Moise Kean off, we were in the ascendancy then and we were going to play 11 v 10. I felt that would be a great opportunity for us and I didn’t see it coming that Troy was going to get sent off as well, I must admit. So it ended 10 each and there’s nothing you can do.”
It was not the only decision Kenny was taken aback by, with the Irish boss highlighting another moment of tension in the game.
“I don’t know why Jayson Molumby gets booked. Connor Ronan is involved with pushing the other player and he got booked for it, but I just watched the yellow with Jayson and he did nothing.”
64: RED CARD!
— eir Sport (@eirSport) October 10, 2019
Ireland U21s 0-0 Italy U21s.
Italy's Moise Kean is shown a straight red card for pushing Troy Parrott, but the Tottenham forward is then shown a second yellow card for his own role in the incident.#IRLU21 #U21EURO pic.twitter.com/gEVRYkyKSA
Kenny will be hoping such incidents do not come back to hurt the Irish team. Any player who picks up three bookings during the campaign will receive an automatic one-game suspension.
“We knew the players had to prepare for an element of gamesmanship. We prepared for it and spoke about it, but ultimately that’s the way it goes.
“Suspensions could be costly, so it’s important we don’t rack up yellow cards. Unfortunately, with the red card, it’s an automatic suspension. It’s two yellows, so it should be one match.
But I think it was important for us, because with Jonathan Afolabi picking up an injury and Troy Parrott obviously suspended and Aaron Connolly having stepped up to the seniors, it’s quite a few missing from the previous camp where we beat Armenia and Sweden, so some other players will have to perform and step up in Iceland and that’s the big challenge for us.”
With Afolabi ruled out and three forwards absent in total, Kenny confirmed that Aaron Drinan, the Ipswich striker who is currently on loan with Gais in Sweden’s second tier, has been called up ahead of Tuesday’s game in Reykjavik
Andy Dunne and Murray Kinsella join Gavan Casey to preview Ireland-Samoa, and discuss the utter farce of the World Cup falling foul of Typhoon Hagibis.
The42 Rugby Weekly / SoundCloud
