Young guns make the most of Ireland learning curve

While almost all of the pre-match focus zeroed in on the three men Martin O’Neill would be deploying in his retooled and reshaped rearguard, there wasn’t nearly as much thought given to who would line up in front of them.

As it was, intrigue flickered around the MetLife Stadium when the Ireland team was announced an hour before kick-off against Mexico on Thursday night. Ireland’s midfield trio of Daryl Horgan, Conor Hourihane and Callum O’Dowda boasted a grand total of six caps between them.

It was arguably even more experimental than anything O’Neill was trying at the back.