Coleman break overshadows hard-fought point

Ireland paid a heavy price for a valuable and hard-fought point on the road to Russia last night as captain Seamus Coleman suffered a horribly broken leg in a scoreless draw with Wales.

The incident, in the 79th minute, saw Wales reduced to 10 men with the sending off of Neil Taylor but, though the Irish pretty much laid siege to the visitors’ goal for the remaining 14 minutes of play, they couldn’t find the finish that would have turned one point into three.

Which is probably only fair since, on the night, Wales were much the better side for long spells, even if a typically brave and committed defensive display by a weakened Irish side meant the threat of Gareth Bale was largely nullified, and goal chances, for both sides, few and far between.