Ward: No hiding place now

For a brief moment, Stephen Ward feared his European Championship ambitions had been scuppered in Budapest.

When Adam Szalai manoeuvred a yard of space for himself about 12 yards from Shay Given’s goal, Ward’s natural instinct was to thrust out a leg and protect the Irish goal regardless of the fact that the result was all but meaningless.

It was perfectly timed to deprive the Hungarian striker of his coup but Szalai had already wound up to shoot by the time Ward’s intervention took place and the lanky centre-forward’s foot struck flesh and bone instead of ball.