James McClean break sends Ireland top on perfect night in Vienna
After Germany and Italy, it was Austria’s turn to be favourites cut down to size by the supposed underdogs, with James McClean confirming his growing reputation as an Irish goal-getter by scoring a superb winner in the Ernst-Happel Stadion.
That devastating counter-attacking goal was the decisive moment in a tenacious and energetic second-half display by the visitors, after they had played second fiddle for long stretches in a scrappy first 45, during which the Austrians had come closest to breaking the deadlock when, with the otherwise assured Darren Randolph beaten for the only time on the night, the crossbar came to his rescue to deny Marcel Sabitzer what would have been a cool, clipped finish.
And then it was Ireland’s turn to almost get their noses in front shortly before the break when, after Wes Hoolahan and Robbie Brady had combined exquisitely on the left side, the Norwich man’s inviting ball into the box saw the incoming Jon Walters, from straight in front of goal, unable to keep his powerful effort on target.
But the 3,500 Irish supporters in the 48,000-capacity stadium didn’t have to wait much longer for something special to celebrate. Three minutes after the restart, the impressive David Meyler — on as a substitute for the injured Glenn Whelan — began the move which led to the winning goal, first dispossessing Spurs’ Kevin Wimmer and then playing a ball into the centre to Wes Hoolahan.
Hoolahan hadn’t exactly been having the best of nights up to that point — it was more about cameos rather than a command performance from the playmaker — but, now, with one sweeping and perfectly-weighted pass, he put James McClean through on goal. And, without having to break his stride, the Derryman surged forward and drilled an angled shot through goalkeeper Ramazan Ozcan’s legs to the corner of the net.
For a period after that, in what was a transformed second-half performance, the Irish really went for the jugular with Walters only denied a second goal for the visitors by an offside flag but, inevitably, the otherwise underwhelming and anxious Austrians rallied sufficiently to create a couple of chances to get back into the game.
But a combination of solid, disciplined Irish defending throughout the evening — including one particularly brilliant tackle by the inspirational Seamus Coleman to deny Marko Arnautovic — and what, right to the very end, was a night entirely to forget in front of goal for the wasteful Marc Janko, meant that McClean’s strike made all the difference, allowing Martin O’Neill’s men to record a memorable and table-topping away win on the road to Russia.
Ramazan Ozcan; Florian Klein, Aleksandar Dragovic, Martin Hinteregger, Kevin Wimmer (Stefan Ilsanker 78); Julian Baumgartlinger, David Alaba,; Marcel Sabitzer (Martin Harnik 73), Alessandro Schopf (Louis Schaub 57), Marko Arnautovic; Marc Janko.
Darren Randolph; Seamus Coleman, Shane Duffy, Ciaran Clark, Robbie Brady; Glenn Whelan (David Meyler 24), Harry Arter, Jeff Hendrick; Wes Hoolahan (David McGoldrick 78), James McClean (Aiden McGeady 85), Jonathan Walters.
Sergei Karasev (Russia).
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