Irish dreams crumble in face of Danish onslaught

James McClean cried the tears of a nation, crumbling in front of the cameras just as his Republic of Ireland colleagues had collapsed on a night of abject misery at the Aviva Stadium.

Ireland’s World Cup dreams soared after only six minutes of the World Cup play-off second leg, but it was all downhill thereafter as Age Hareide’s Denmark ruthlessly exposed sloppy defending to rout the boys in green 5-1.

Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen claimed a hat-trick, with a shaken Republic manager Martin O’Neill admitting after the final whistle: “We were well beaten.”