La Roja give Ireland the runaround

Bewitched, bothered, bewildered — and beaten out of sight.

Ireland’s early exit from Euro 2012 was confirmed by a painfully emphatic Spanish win last night, as the world and European champions turned on the style to put four past an Irish side which only had blood, sweat and, in the end, tears, to offer as an answer to sublime Iberian artistry.

Only in the stands did Ireland reign over Spain, the massive Green Army as unstinting as ever in its passionate support of the men on the pitch but, by the end, as The Fields Of Athenry rolled around the stadium, the occasion had taken on all the trappings of a wake for an Irish team. They came to this competition with hopes of springing a surprise or two but now, having shipped a whopping seven goals in just two games, must head to Poznan for Monday’s match against Italy looking only for a chance to reclaim some self-respect.

It was a bad night too for Giovanni Trapattoni as he suffered disappointment yet again at a major tournament. The veteran Italian had plotted to stifle Spain by playing Simon Cox as an extra midfielder, with Robbie Keane as a lone striker. But the success of the plan may be judged not only by the scoreline but also by the fact that, in just over 90 minutes of play, Ireland’s all-time record scorer managed just one real shot on target. Even before the final whistle blew, Trapattoni himself seemed almost traumatised by what he’d just witnessed and, sadly, for a proud man, helpless to do anything about it.

True, Spain are no ordinary football team — and, indeed, some of the football they played was simply out of this world — but even in our worst imaginings we hardly envisaged a game in which Ireland would leave the pitch having been given a real hiding and with the only consolation being that the damage could have been much greater.

Black humour again seemed like a reasonable response when news of the changes made by both managers from their opening games filtered through shortly before kick-off. Vincente Del Bosque had called up Fernando Torres while Giovanni Trapattoni had sent for Simon Cox. Bafflingly, Jonathan Walters, who had impressed when coming on for the Kevin Doyle against Croatia, was confined to the bench until half-time, despite much expectation that he would get the nod as the man to help bolster midfield and support Keane up front.

On one level, there was always going to be some merit to the argument which held that it didn’t matter greatly who Trapattoni put out last night, since the Spanish were always going to have Xavi, Iniesta, Silva, Alonso and Busquets on the pitch. According to that script, Ireland were like the condemned man walking to the place of execution, the best hope being that the end would be as clean, painless and merciful as possible.

Instead, the body blow of a Spanish goal after just four minutes suggested it would be a prolonged and bloody affair. For the second game in succession, the defence was caught cold by an early sucker punch. Richard Dunne had already done well to stop David Silva with a sliding tackle but once back on his feet the centre-half had the ball pinched from him by Torres, who drifted past a static Stephen Ward and then blasted over Shay Given to the roof of the net.

That set the tone for a draining first half for the Irish players. Spain, in their usual manner, bossed possession and every time they attempted an incisive pass at the climax of another long passage of mesmerising keep ball, the move always threatened to end with the net billowing again. That it didn’t, at least up until half-time, was down to some heroic last-ditch defending by the Irish, a couple of fine stops by Given and a certain amount of Spanish wastefulness.

Ireland were defending as a unit — with Keith Andrews outstanding — but they couldn’t attack like one. With the Irish constantly forced back and, worse, sloppy in keeping the ball, Keane was completely isolated up front. And when Given or Dunne hit it long, there was no outlet for the aerial ball either, no Kevin Doyle to win something in the air.

Needing someone who could hold the ball up, Trapattoni had bowed to the inevitable by sending Walters into second-half action. But there remained a grim inevitability about the pattern of the game, with Spain once more pouring into the Irish half.

And just five minutes in, in an unhappy echo for Ireland of the Croatia game, Spain made it two. Given’s punch from Iniesta’s shot didn’t carry anything like enough distance and when it fell to the feet of Silva, the little Man City genius was able to toy with three Irish defenders before picking his spot with almost contemptuous ease.

At that point, with his side two goals down and showing little sign of providing any kind of answer to the Spanish inquisition, Trapattoni should have called James McClean into play, especially since Aiden McGeady, though working hard, was getting little or no change out of the opposition rearguard.

But Trapattoni continued to wait, while a magnificent one-handed save by Given denied Xavi. But there was to be no reprieve in the 70th minute when, after Sean St Ledger lost his footing and McGeady wasn’t strong enough with his intervention, Silva sent Torres clear and the revitalised striker held off Dunne to beat Given and grab his second, and Spain’s third, of the night.

In a small spasm of attempted retaliation, Keane had his one shot of the night well saved by Iker Casillas before, on 75 minutes, Trapattoni finally sent McClean into action, the Derry tyro replacing the veteran Damien Duff.

That a substitution should draw the biggest Irish ovation of the night said everything about Spain’s total superiority, and Del Bosque’s team duly confirmed it when one of their own substitutes — a guy you might have heard of, by the name of Cesc Fabregas — all too easily got the better of another Irish substitute, Paul Green, to blast home from a tight angle.

Subs for Spain: Javi Martinez for Alonso (65), Fabregas for Torres (74), Cazorla for Iniesta (79).

Subs for Republic of Ireland: Walters for Cox (45), Green for Whelan (79).