Cristiano Ronaldo haunts John O'Shea and Ireland in Portugal once again
SIIIUUU: Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring against Ireland. AP Photo/Luis Vieira.
Seedings and worlds apart in Aveiro, the incoming Ireland manager will have the summer to digest what he’s inheriting for the competitive series ahead.
This was a meeting of sixth against 60 in the Fifa rankings personified; Ireland’s perforated by João Félix from a set-piece and filleted with a double from Cristiano Ronaldo. Thankfully, this brace wasn't as painful as 2021.
His goal tally swelled to 130 before next week’s trip to Euros, a major tournament platform Ireland are likely to sample next by virtue of co-hosting status.
There was little for interim boss John O’Shea to accentuate from this fourth and final component of his audition, other than acting Ireland the fodder for one of the favourites for the Euros to brush up on their target practice.
Boosted by a win over Hungary last Tuesday – the biggest scalp in terms of world ranking for seven years – Ireland had a foundation to build on but O’Shea wasn’t standing still.
Jake O’Brien, Liam Scales and matchwinner Troy Parrott all finished the 2-1 win strongly and were justifiably rewarded with promotion from substitutes to starters.
It meant a Cork spine to the team from goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher through O’Brien in the heart of defence to Adam Idah deployed at centre-forward.
Debut starts hardly rank more challenging than marking the world’s top male international scorer but it concluded a season in which the Youghal native handled the sternest of them with consummate ease. Lyon will be fortunate to keep hold of him as O’Brien fits a particular niche of profile big clubs cherish.
Roberto Martinez cut deeper, culling six players from the side beaten 2-1 by Croatia in Saturday’s meeting in Lisbon.
One particular star was always touted to claim a spot, for Ronaldo’s loading was managed despite his statuesque appearance at 39 to be unleashed for this occasion.
His emergence onto the Estádio Municipal de Aveiro pitch was greeted by the resident DJ booming the music levels and he wasn’t shy about indulging his comeback by jogging to either side and applauding his adoring audience.
There was still his pre-match ritual to witness – leaving it until kick-off time to tie his bootlaces and splash water at his face, predominantly to glisten his pristine mane.
He was in the mood to put on a show but early momentum was punctuated by Sammie Szmodics requiring treatment within two minutes, a cue for the home support to engineer a bout of Mexican waves. The pocket of 600 or so Ireland supporters in the upper tier behind the goal weren’t ready to play ball.
Predictably, Portugal dominated possession from the off, including goalkeeper Diogo Costa in the sequencing of passing, and it took a couple of blocks by Scales and O’Brien to smother dangerous attacks from the left.
It was through the middle pair of João Félix and Ronaldo that they carried the most threat however and Ireland were warned immediately before that route clicked.
A couple of passes down the right on 18 minutes exposed gaps and it took the outstretched foot of Kelleher to divert João Félix’s low strike out for a corner.
An inquest into the lapses was still ongoing when Joao Cancelo took a short corner to Bruno Fernandes. His pass into the Barcelona attacker’s feet was too quick for Szmodics to track her marker and from precisely the replica position he chose the other side by zipping a shot into the left corner.
Three minutes later and the star attraction got his first sight on goal, although through means that his former teammate O’Shea enraged.
He might have an Irish-sounding name but there was no favouritism by referee Chris Kavanagh when he adjudged Josh Cullen to have handled Ronaldo’s latest flick. A brush off the offender’s hair was a needless action but from 25 yards – and after mouthing a succession of words visualising the net bulging – his effort clipped Idah in the wall before spinning onto the post. Séamus Coleman just did enough to prevent Rafael Leao from tucking away the rebound.
Fernandes twice went close to adding a second before the half was out, rippling the sidenetting and firing straight at Kelleher, while the long stride of Leao was too much for Coleman to thwart when he skipped inside from the left touchline onto his stronger right foot.
Kelleher, who’d raised his arms in exasperation at the concession, was relieved to see the shot blaze over.
Chances for Ireland were a rarity. Idah was industrious as ever and from one charge towards the box, delaying his pass to Szmodics was fatal, as it offered Cancelo time to block.
Ten minutes before half-time, the Leesider could see his name in lights when his initial cross was recycled into his path. Her intention was admirable but the angle to beat Costa was unforgiving and he blasted into the sidenetting.
They were rare nuggets of respite and Goncalo Inacio’s missed free header approaching the whistle was a truer reflection of the trend.
Five interval changes might have indicated Ronaldo would be given a breather but he emerged up the steps, if anything with additional vim in his legs.
He was gunning for goal and a mere four minutes had elapsed before he delivered. One of those newcomers, Ruben Neves, spotted Ronaldo drifting to the right sooner than Scales did and from controlling the lofted pass, his trademark shift from one foot to the other was a prerequisite to unleash a left-footer into the top corner.
Five minutes later and Diogo Jota went from winning a free-kick, believing it was being upgraded to a penalty in a VAR call and then being penalised himself for a foul on Jake O’Brien.
The Liverpool speedster was soon on his feet feeding Ronaldo for his second on the hour. A long, flowing move from back to front was eventually within Ireland’s gift to clear but Will Smallbone and Dara O’Brien somehow collided to allow Jota square for Ronaldo to sweep a first-time shot past Kelleher.
At least the match will be remembered from an Irish perspective for Tom Cannon coming on for his bow. The one opening following the third goal fell his way, only he was unable to wrap his foot around the ball to keep it on target when sent clear for a one-on-one. Not much more will be recalled.
D Costa; D Dalot (Danilo 46), A Silva, Pepe (N Semedo 46), Goncalo Inacio, J Cancelo (R Neves 46); J Nevez (M Nunes 76), Rafael Leao (D Jota 46); B Fernandes; Joao Felix (N Mendes 46), C Ronaldo.
C Kelleher; D O‘Shea, J O’Brien, L Scales; S Coleman (M Doherty 70), W Smallbone (M Sykes 83), J Cullen, R Brady (C O’Dowda 52); S Szmodics (J Knight 70), T Parrott (T Cannon 52); A Idah (M Johnston 52).
Chris Kavanagh (England).
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