James McClean rises to the occasion as Ireland finally get the job done
The results in the group’s two other games also added retrospective gloss to Ireland’s draw in Belgrade and victory over Georgia in Dublin, making this a very satisfactory night all ‘round for Martin O’Neill and his men.
The popular pre-gig gag went, “they think it’s Moldova, it Chisinau” but don’t expect manager Igor Drobovolski to find it funny.
While the under-fire Moldovan boss made five changes to the side beaten 3-0 here by Serbia, for once Martin O’Neill’s team selection was eminently predictable: The manager would have almost had to wilfully confound expectations had he picked any other side, with Glenn Whelan and, to widespread acclaim of course, Wes Hoolahan, coming in for Jeff Hendrick and Robbie Brady, with the result that last night’s starting 11 showed just the two enforced changes from the team which had laboured so heavily to beat Georgia.
But it seems that no matter what we do to the Georgians, they refuse to take offence. Having done Ireland the inestimable favour of beating Scotland in the qualifying campaign for the European Championships, they were at it again before kick-off in Chisinau as the welcome news arrived from Cardiff that Wales had been held to a 1-1 draw.
After the heavy rain and bitter winds of the previous day, a crisp autumnal night in the Moldovan capital saw a half-moon peering over the shoulder of the Soviet-era apartment blocks which tower above the appealingly compact Stadional Zimbru, as Danish referee Jakob Kehlet – the man who was in the middle when Dundalk beat BATE Borisov in Tallaght — got proceedings under way.
O’Neill had called for his players to get on the front foot from the first whistle and the team certainly responded in kind.
There was just two minutes on the clock when — who else — Wes Hoolahan slid a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Shane Long and, putting those 18 games without a goal emphatically behind him, the Southampton striker beat ‘keeper Nicolae Calancea to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
As energetic in the first half here as they had been lethargic in the same period against Georgia, Ireland kept up the pressure in search of a second, James McClean coming close with a shot across the face of goal from a James McCarthy cross in the 11th minute.
But, to their credit, Moldova didn’t let their heads drop and, even with Glenn Whelan a steadying influence in front of the back four, Shane Duffy had to be strong and decisive to snuff out the whiff of incipient danger on a couple of occasions.
Still, with the half nearing its end, Darren Randolph had yet to make a save while, at the other end, Seamus Coleman was a constant menace raiding up the right flank as the Moldovan defence repeatedly lived on its nerves.
And then in time added on, and virtually out of nothing and nowhere, came the sucker-punch, Duffy and the rest of the Irish defence caught badly out of a position by a long ball forward from skipper Alexandru Gatcan which, with all the green shirts pushed up, allowed Igor Bugaev to race clear into open space and beat Randolph with a low shot to the corner of the net.
It was Moldova’s first meaningful effort on goal and, coming at the worst possible time for the visitors, it levelled the scores going into the break.
As was only to be expected, the home side re-emerged with a new spring in their step and the crowd fervently behind them, Randolph actually getting to make his first save of the game a minute after the restart as the Moldovans applied concerted pressure.
McClean with a header from a Walters cross and Hoolahan with a run and shot tried to regain the initiative for Ireland but, by the hour mark, there was an open-ended, anything goes feel to a game that had become a test of nerve — and nerves — for both sides.
It was a test the visitors ultimately passed with a bit to spare, even though they lost Shane Long to injury in the 62nd minute.
Callum O’Dowda made his competitive debut as his replacement, taking up a position on the left while Jon Walters moved to the apex of the attack. And the impressive youngster played a cameo in the build-up to Ireland regaining the lead eight minutes later, a passage of composed possession finally seeing James McCarthy’s half-hit shot end up at the feet of Walters who, with his back to goal and the Moldovan defence apparently in freeze-frame mode, had the time to weigh up his options, the best of which was to simply get out of the way and allow James McClean to score.
With Ireland now firmly back on top, it was 3-1 in the 75th minute when, after typically clever work by Hoolahan, Coleman finally got his reward for another incisive run and cutback from the byline, his enterprise allowing McClean, on the double, to finish from close range.
After that, the result was never in doubt, and the celebrating Irish fans could even enjoy the diversion of seeing O’Neill briefly back on the pitch as the manager sought to defuse a row which ended up with yellow cards for Walters, Dedov and Gatcan.
A lot done, more to do: Onwards to Vienna.
Calancea, Bordian, Posmac, Armas (Golovatenco 35), Bolohan, Gatcan, Cojocari, Andronic (Sidorenco 83), Zasavitchi Cebotaru (60), Dedov, Bugaev
Randolph, Coleman, Clark, Duffy, Ward, Whelan, McCarthy (Meyler 80), McClean, Hoolahan (O’Kane 86), Walters, Long ((O’Dowda 62)
Jakob Kehlet (Denmark)
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