King’s troops sow seeding of hope

Republic of Ireland 3 Kazakhstan 1

Whether it was for one night only will be something the new manager of Ireland must address, of course, but for the loyal supporters who bothered to show up at a less than half-full Aviva Stadium – the official attendance was 21,700 — this was at least the kind of uplifting if scarcely flawless performance which will have sown seeds of hope for brighter days ahead

That said, it would clearly be ill-advised to read too much into a victory over one of the qualifying group’s two weakest sides, especially in the context of what was, after all, the final game at the end of long campaign and one, lest we forget, which was even more unrewarding for Khazakhstan than it was for Ireland.

Nevertheless, one can only feel happy for Noel King that his two-game reign as interim manager ended not just with the high note of a victory but one which has the significant benefit of keeping Ireland in the running to secure a second seeding in qualification for Euro 2014.

Sadly, a night which showcased plenty of invention in Ireland’s play was overshadowed to some extent by what appeared to be a serious looking knee ligament injury sustained in the first half by Darron Gibson.

As he had signalled in advance, King stuck with the 4-2-3-1 formation he had employed against Germany though this time the emphasis was altogether more on construction than destruction, with Andy Reid making a welcome return to the side after a gap of six years, to play centrally off frontman Robbie Keane.

King still managed to spring something of a surprise by again omitting an orthodox winger in favour of deploying Anthony Stokes on the left and Kevin Doyle on the right, but Doyle’s physicality and ability in the air must surely have been a consideration as the caretaker boss sought to bridge the gap between the direct game and something altogether more measured.

In front of a back four which had the experience of Richard Dunne and John O’ Shea at its heart – and the energy and enterprise of Seamus Coleman and Marc Wilson on the flanks – the deployment of Gibson and James McCarthy side by side suggested ball retention should not be the problem it so often was under Giovanni Trapattoni in his final fling as manager. King’s line-up did, however mean there was no place at the start – though there would be soon enough due to Gibson’s bad luck — for Trap evergreen Glenn Whelan.

On paper, then, there were grounds for encouragement but football is played on grass and, at the start, a bobbly pitch was doing no favours to either side, with Irish passes in particular going astray.

But they settled soon enough, and the small attendance was treated to the rare sight of an Ireland side dominating possession and stringing the passes to together. After just eight minutes, the Reid-Keane telepathy of yore was in evidence again as the skipper got his head on a driven diagonal ball from the Nottingham Forest man but, despite an initial spill, the Kazakhstan ’keeper Andrey Sidelnikov kept it out. And then, almost immediately, there was a warning at the other end, Maxat Baizhanov beating David Forde to a cross but heading over the bar.

With the Kazakhs determined to press the ball, the Irish were clearly not going to have it all their own way but, 13 minutes in, came what can only be described as a bolt from the blue shirts, a Seamus Coleman miskick seeing the ball break for Dmiitriy Shomko who required no second invitation to hit a blistering shot that left Forde completely helpless as it curled inside his far post. The chance might have stemmed from an Irish mistake but there could be no denying the quality of a strike that made it one of the best goals we have seen at the Aviva Stadium.

The test for Ireland had suddenly been transformed into one of character and, to their credit, they responded immediately. Just three minutes later, when Alexander Kislityn had a rush of blood to the head and inexplicably handled under pressure from Richard Dunne, the Latvian referee had no option but to point to the spot, with Keane stepping up to nab his 61st international goal and make it 1-1 on the night in his customarily nerveless fashion.

Not long after, the Irish were in front. The value of Reid’s deadball delivery was confirmed in the 25th minute as his deep corner again found Dunne’s head and when, not for the first time, Sidelnikov flapped at the bouncing ball, John O’ Shea was on hand to smash the rebound to the back of the net.

With Ireland having thoroughly recovered from the shock of going behind so early, Gibson began to impose himself on the game as the director of midfield traffic, the green shirts again spraying the ball around to pleasing if not exactly penetrative effect.

Unfortunately, Gibson came off worst in a challenge just past the half-hour mark, his watching Everton manager Roberto Martinez looking on anxiously as the player’s knee seemed to buckle as he fell. After lengthy treatment, a visibly distressed Gibson was stretchered off, prompting an early return to international action for Whelan.

The interruption drained the game of its earlier momentum, but Ireland retained their dominance and their lead through to the break. The same pattern reasserted itself at the start of the second half, the Kazakhs dropping deep but still carrying a threat on the counter-attack, while more promising Irish build-up play continued to perish for the lack of a quality final ball.

Richard Dunne, impressive in the second period, tried to show the way with a long pass from the back which Keane controlled before scuffing his shot wide. But even with Ireland now moving the ball at a greater tempo, Reid and Stokes linking up cleverly and Coleman getting into promisingly advanced positions up the right, sights of goal were still in frustratingly short supply, Whelan coming close with a long-range effort which whizzed past the post before Reid, characteristically, essayed an even more audacious effort from further out again.

Ireland were clearly the superior side but a fine shot by substitute Igor Yurin, which shaved Forde’s post, showed that King’s men badly needed a third if all their good work was not to be undone by another isolated moment of Kazakh inspiration.

The caretaker boss finally turned to his bench in the 74th minute, sending on Aiden McGeady in place of Reid, the Dubliner deservedly receiving a warm ovation from his home town crowd as he departed. After so many Irish crosses had failed to beat the first defender up to then, McGeady immediately opted for the direct route and it paid rich dividends. Picking up a Stokes backheel which kept the ball in play, the Spartak Moscow man hurdled one challenge as he tore into the box close to the end line, his subsequent ball across the face of goal causing such panic in the visitors’ defence that, under pressure for the hard-working Doyle, Dmitry Shomko – the man who’d given Kazakhstan the lead with a cracker – now found the net again in rather more ignominious fashion.

Irish fans then had a chance to welcome a cameo appearance by another favoured son, Wes Hoolahan, before the referee’s final whistle brought a warm reaction for the whole team from an appreciative crowd. And, as he greeted his players as they came off the pitch, King had every reason to be pleased too.

Subs for Republic of Ireland: Whelan for Gibson 37, McGeady for Reid 75, Hoolahan for Stokes 87.

Subs for Kazakhstan: Finonchenko for Kislitsyn 32, Yurin for Shchetkin 61, Shabalin for Karpovich 84

Referee: Vadim Direktorenko (Latvia).