McCarthy preparing to go ‘toe to toe’ with Denmark

Much as he was satisfied with the ample positives of Ireland’s 3-1 win against New Zealand, arguably the biggest lesson Mick McCarthy will take from that sideshow game into Monday’s crunch encounter with Denmark is that some of the blemishes of Thursday’s performance could, if not eliminated, prove fatal against Christian Eriksen and company.

“We can’t give them on Monday some of the space we gave New Zealand, that’s for sure,” he says. “We’ll have to be really rock solid and tight.