A stalemate once again for Ireland team weakened by Covid crises
Referee Anastasios Sidiropoulos (right) shows a red card to Ireland's James McClean. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
A Republic of Ireland side badly compromised by the latest Covid crisis to afflict the camp had to settle for a draw despite dominating long stretches of Sunday afternoon's Nations League tie against Wales at the Aviva Stadium.
The hosts finished with just ten men after James McClean earned a second yellow card with seven minutes to go and Stephen Kenny's hand for the next game away to Finland was weakened further by the loss in the first-half of replacement centre-back Kevin Long to injury.
Jayson Molumby was another who failed to finish, the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder coming off with what appeared to be a knock just before the end but, ultimately, the main drama happened prior to kick-off.
A game that was already an afterthought after the disappointment of losing last Thursday's Euro 2020 playoff semi-final to Slovakia was relegated further down the list of priorities when the focus returned to the Covid crises that have enveloped the squad.
Suffice to say here that the end result of the latest issue was the loss of five players, one testing positive for the virus and four others – John Egan, Callum Robinson, Callum O'Dowda, and Alan Browne - deemed to be close contacts on the flight back from Bratislava.
With Aaron Connolly and Adam Idah back with their clubs after their own Covid saga, that was seven players unavailable. Five others have been lost to injury at various stages, too. By the time the match squad appeared here it contained only 18 Irish players to Wales' 23.
Just five outfield substitutes were available to Kenny. All bar Jack Byrne got a run.
The available pool dwindled further again when Long had to come off with an eye injury after just 25 minutes, his place at left centre-back being taken by the ever-more-versatile Matt Doherty and Cyrus Christie coming on to take the role of right-back.
That was the most notable moment up to that point in a game which, interestingly, featured an Ireland XI made up entirely of players born on this island for the first time in almost half a century. Six counties were represented in that number.
Harry Wilson did force a fairly routine save from Darren Randolph shortly after Long's departure and the visitors had a strong penalty shout turned down two minutes later when Randolph clattered into Ethan Ampadu.
The Ireland goalkeeper caused the ruckus himself, dropping a simple ball at his feet and bundling into the Welsh defender who did nothing worse than head the free ball but only to be rewarded with a free-kick against him. Bizarre.
Ireland's best chance of the opening half came when Robbie Brady intercepted a loose Wilson pass infield and tried a shot from the edge of the box that just whistled past a post when he really should have found the target.
Slim pickings all round, then.
Maybe an element of the mundane was just what the doctor ordered given all the off-field drama although the opening 45 wasn't exactly without its plus points given Jayson Molumby showed again that he has the engine and the ability to be a significant midfield option.
Ireland, displaying the same commitment to be inventive and control possession as in their last three fixtures, dominated possession in the third quarter but here again they failed to do enough to translate it into a consistent threat at the sharp end.
The most glaring miss of the game came on 55 minutes when Shane Long headed an Enda Stevens cross over the bar. Long was unmarked and about seven yards out and yet his effort sailed yards over the bar. It was a terrible miss.
Wales finished the stronger, especially when McClean got his marching orders but this was, everything considered, a decent showing by a home team that has suffered so many blows over the last week. The most glaring is the lack of firepower.
That's no wins across Kenny's first four games in charge now and just one goal scored despite all the plaudits for the style with which his sides have played this month and last.
This is a side that needs a bit of luck. On and off the pitch.
D Randolph; M Doherty, S Duffy, K Long, E Stevens; C Hourihane, J Molumby; R Brady, J Hendrick, J McClean; S Long.
C Christie for K Long (25); D Horgan for Brady and S Maguire for Long (both 73); J Cullen for Molumby (90).
W Hennessy; C Roberts, J Rodon, E Ampadu, B Davies; D James, M Smith, J Morrell, H Wilson; A Ramsey; K Moore.
D Levitt for Smith and N Williams for Wilson (both 67); D Brooks for James (77).
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