Stephen Kenny's Ireland salvage draw but fail their latest test

The boos that accompanied the final whistle were perfunctory and short and it was impossible to know if they were directed at the team, the time-wasting Azerbaijanis, or the referee who accommodated their every ‘injury’

James McClean and Shane Duffy react after failing to convert a chance on goal against Azerbaijan at the Aviva Stadium. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Stephen Kenny’s bid to separate the Republic of Ireland from the more agricultural aspects of its past hit another stumbling block this evening and it came in the shape of a 1-1 scoreline that has been harvested by so many Irish sides of the past.

Ireland’s score draws of days gone by have invariably been etched out in a rousing end game, the Boys in Green raging belatedly against a 1-0 deficit and building towards a frenzied crescendo on the back of the guttural roars from a frustrated audience.