All and nothing to play for

GERMANY, playing within themselves, did just enough to get what they needed.

Ireland, playing above themselves, didn’t do quite enough to get what they wanted.

That was Saturday night at Croke Park in a nutshell, another stage in the boom and bust cycle which has characterised Ireland’s Group D campaign. On this occasion, Ireland were a touch unlucky to fall short of a transitory high, that of defeating an admittedly weakened German side with their own patched-up team.