Irish dilemma: too much foreplay, not enough climax

HOLDING the ball up well and using it intelligently, you could argue that Robbie Keane was Ireland’s best player on Saturday night.

Always showing for his colleagues and willing to drop deep to link up the play, the Spurs man was here, there but, tellingly, not quite everywhere in the Ramat Gan.

And especially not where it counts the most.

It pretty much tells the story of a strange night for Brian Kerr's team that the striker could be in the running for the man of the match award without ever getting a serious strike on goal.

For this was a game in which Ireland had plenty of possession but hardly any penetration, with only three close shaves a Keane header over the top, a Finnan shot turned away by Awat and Duff's deflected shot onto the bar in injury time to show for an often conservative performance which got off to the best possible start with Clinton Morrison's sensational strike after three minutes.

But as it was in the beginning so it was in the end, except then it was Israel's turn to celebrate, as Suan tied things up in the very last minute of normal time with a low drive past Given.

And it wasn't as if Ireland hadn't been warned. Twice in the second half, Israel might have indeed, should have equalised, when first Benayoun blazed over with only Given to beat and then Keisi shot straight at the keeper.

Ireland weren't quite hanging on but their one goal lead always looked vulnerable, and when Benayoun and Katan combined to set up the substitute for the equaliser, it was no more than the Israelis deserved.

It had all started so differently for Ireland, Clinton Morrison showing his huge value to this team yet again with his third goal of the qualifying campaign. It was his best too, the Birmingham striker creating something from nothing as he swivelled and shot through the eye of a needle from an almost impossible angle from Damien Duff's low cross.

It was the highlight of an enormously encouraging opening spell by Ireland, as they quietened the local support with extended passages of controlled possession football and, with Duff frequently turning on the style, suggested they also carried more than enough of an attacking threat to put the game entirely beyond the Israelis.

Frustratingly, the Irish promised far more than they delivered with Robbie Keane's header over the bar after Duff picked him out with a pinpoint cross, the closest they came to doubling their advantage in the first half.

By then, Israel could have been right back in the game, but for a flying stop by Given reminiscent of his save against Pires in France which kept out a powerful free-kick from Tal.

Still, on the face of it, Ireland reached half-time in pretty good shape a goal to the good and, with Roy Keane controlling the pace of the game in midfield, continuing to dominate possession.

The object in the second half, you felt, would have to be to up the tempo, inject a bit more urgency and try to finish off a still lively Israeli side.

But that's not how it worked out at all. Although there was some sloppy concession of the ball particularly on the part of John O' Shea for the most part Ireland remained composed and tidy. Again, some of the passing was pleasing to the eye, but it never added up to much of anything at the business end of the pitch. Repeatedly, they got the ball into advanced positions on either flank only to work it back and across the middle and out wide again. Sometimes it even ended up all the way back at Shay Given. Similarly, a number of free-kicks were wasted as the ball was flighted directly into the arms of Awat.

The sense was of a side lacking either the nerve or the ambition to finish off a job which they had begun so well. Jack Charlton liked to say of his Irish team that their football was not pretty but effective. On Saturday night, the opposite applied this Irish display was pretty but not effective.

But for all that the 3,000 visiting fans grew frustrated with the Irish failure to create some breathing space, the real pressure remained on Israel, as evidenced by Avraham Grant's three substitutions to Brian Kerr's one.

And it was one of those subs, Suan, who finally made the difference, leaving the visitors, on and off the pitch, pulling their hair out.

Irish football has a history of celebrating draws as victories. But even though this result registered on the Group 4 table as a valuable point on the road particularly in the context of the stalemate in Paris the manner in which a potential three suddenly became one, made this draw feel more like a defeat.

Boasting as much flair as any Irish side in memory, this still maturing team has come a long way since the 2002 World Cup finals, but if they are to reach the promised land again in 2006, they need to develop a ruthless streak.

ISRAEL: Awat, Afek, (63 Nimni), Ben-Haim, Gershon, Benado, Keisi, Badier, Tal (63 Balili), Benayoun, Katan, Golan (74 Suan).

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Given, Carr, O'Brien, Cunningham, O'Shea, Finnan, Roy Keane, Kilbane, Duff, Morrison (85 Holland), Robbie Keane.

Referee: V. Ivanov (Russia)