Reserves give reasons for cheer
But the hardy few who did make their cheers echo in the vast empty spaces last night — as the new cathedral of Irish football once again failed to attract enough worshippers — can at least say they were on hand to get a glimpse of what the future might be like if James McCarthy does go on to fulfil all that is expected of him.
And they can also say that they witnessed a hugely entertaining game of football in which the fiery passion shown by a makeshift Irish team was ultimately doused by South American flair as Uruguay, the team which finished fourth in the world in South Africa last summer, handed out a sharp lesson in the art of clinical finishing.
Yet, this was a contest which also played host to a spirited display by a makeshift Irish team, the upbeat if occasionally naïve nature of whose performance was such that, at the final whistle, a 2-3 defeat was probably more warmly received by those in attendance than was the laboured 2-1 victory over Macedonia at the same venue on Saturday.
But, unfortunately, it wasn’t a night which will last long in the memory for what McCarthy actually did on the pitch. As indicated, Giovanni Trapattoni opted to play McCarthy in what the Italian manager likes to call the “Totti” position, and the one which he has equally often declared he had earmarked for Stephen Ireland before the wandering star decided he wanted no position in the Irish team whatsoever.
Otherwise known as the ‘number 10’ role, it sees the player asked to be the link between midfield and an outright striker — the latter load shouldered superbly last night by Shane Long — and requires the positional awareness, creative talents and eye for a goal which McCarthy has already shown to precociously exciting effect in the Premier League with Wigan.
Yet, conscious of the weight of expectation on the 20-year-old’s shoulders, Trapattoni had been careful to say in advance that he wasn’t expecting miracles from McCarthy on his first senior start for his country. This was reasonable, and not only because the young man has already spent far too much time in the media spotlight for reasons not immediately related to his proficiency on the pitch. The manager would also have been well aware that McCarthy would be taking centre-stage in a cast largely composed of understudies while, in sharp contrast, the opposition could call on some nine players who had featured in the semi-finals of the World Cup last summer.
The problem with McCarthy’s designated role, however, was that it was only really made possible by the fact that both Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle were among the first-choice absentees, which begs the question of whether we’ll actually see the Wigan man take up that position in a green shirt again any time soon.
To that extent this was a missed opportunity to play him in a central midfield role where, just perhaps, his abundant talents might convince Trapattoni there is room in the notional heart of the Irish team for imagination and invention.
As it was, McCarthy was seemingly caught between the two stools last night, as much of the action took place either directly in front of him or directly behind him, where Keith Fahey’s ability to calmly pick the right pass was the most notable feature of Ireland’s constructive football.
There was a bright and youthful verve to Ireland early on, the passing crisp and fluent, with Ciaran Clark — showing a refreshing willingness to push forward from his left-back berth — almost eliciting “oles” from the appreciative crowd for some tricky footwork near the sideline.
There were shades of Macedonia’s Nuedinoski on Saturday night when, in the ninth minute, Fahey almost embarrassed Fernando Muslera in the Uruguayan goal with a straightforward strike which the keeper contrived to scoop over his shoulder and onto the roof of the net.
And fortune then favoured the visitors at the other end when Fahey’s attempt to head clear a Diego Forlan free-kick rebounded off the back of a light blue shirt and fell kindly in the box for the unmarked Diego Lugano, who steered the ball past Keiren Westwood to give Uruguay the lead.
But credit the fledgling boys in green: within a couple of minutes they were back on level terms, Paul Green feeding Liam Lawrence on the right and, from his left-footed cross, Long rose unimpeded to head powerfully to the back of the Uruguayan net. Then it was Fahey’s turn to go close at the end of another fine move as Ireland ‘s bold attacking play earned the applause of the small crowd. With Uruguay also not shy about trying to reclaim the advantage, it was all making for a spectacle worthy of a much bigger occasion.
Amazingly, just 22 minutes into what was already an entertainingly open game, and Uruguay were back in front, Maximiliano Perieira allowed to drift past three green shirts in a run across the face of the Irish box before his angled pass put in Edinson Cavani, who beat Westwood with practised ease.
And, eight minutes later, it was three when, after Lawrence allowed the ball to be nicked off his foot in the middle of the park, the South Americans again broke swiftly upfield, the lethal finishing touch this time supplied by Abel Hernandez.
If the Irish were learning the hard way about how harshly mistakes can be punished by one of the world’s top teams, it didn’t seem to unduly bother those watching. To much laughter, the crowd at the Lansdowne Road end seemed intent on giving the players a lesson in how to retain possession, as stewards vainly tried to retrieve a lost ball.
Back on the pitch after the break, Ireland immediately set about retrieving what seemed a lost cause, the second half barely two minutes old when, following a superb run to the line by the irrepressible Long, his low cross pulled invitingly back into the box saw McCarthy upended by Martin Cacedes as the number 10 readied to strike. French referee Said Enjemmi pointed to the spot and Fahey did the necessary. 2-3 and it was game on again — not that this contest had ever gone off the boil.
There were some mutterings of discontent in the stands when Trapattoni decided to cut short McCarthy’s quiet night on 65 minutes but, unlike the departing Wigan man, his replacement Keith Treacy immediately brought a diving save from Muslera. A great double stop by Westwood then prevented Uruguay from re-establishing a two-goal lead, though the Irish had only Abel Hernandez to thank for maintaining the status quo when he blasted over with the Irish goal at his mercy.
With 10 minutes remaining, Andy Keogh comfortably eclipsed him for the ‘miss of the night’ award, heading wide of an unprotected goal from almost on top of the far post after another horrendous flap by Muslera.
The game had now taken on an ‘anything-might-happen’ mood but though both sides pressed to the end and players came and went, there were no further changes to the scoreline. Still, five was enough to be going on with. Okay, so it was a friendly — but what was that folk were saying about Irish football under Trap being boring?
Subs for Ireland: Gibson for Fahey 65, Treacy for McCarthy 65, Delaney for Clark 74, McGeady for Lawrence 77, Stokes for Keogh 84.
Subs for Uruguay: Gargano for Rios 64, Eguren for Hernandez 83, Scotti for Perez 90.
Referee: Said Ennjimi
Attendance: 20,200.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
