Ferguson header and Kelleher heroics help Ireland to Nations League double over the Finnish
Evan Ferguson celebrates what turned out to be the winner.
Against the Finnish, this was only the start for Evan Ferguson and Caoimhin Kelleher as the pair combined at either end to record a first Ireland double of note since 2017.
Bar lowly Gibraltar, Ireland last recorded home and away victories in one campaign against Moldova but they dug out their second win over the Nordics to ensure they avoided relegation with Sunday’s trip to Wembley to spare.
Ireland can now face the Auld Enemy in a first competitive fixture at Wembley for 31 years without any fear, aware next year’s World Cup campaign will be delayed by a Nations League playoff against tier C opponents in March.
Whatever the future holds for Ireland, Ferguson and Kelleher will be bookending it.
The striker finally looked match-fit after a long injury layoff to score his fourth international goal while the stopper, enjoying a run in the Liverpool side, batted away Joel Pohjanpalo’s penalty with 16 minutes remaining.
Although Heimir Hallgrimsson is yearning for a settled Ireland team and formation, evidently from his selection he’s still learning about the readiness of his players for such status.
Mikey Johnston’s promotion to the left wing allowed Sammie Szmodics revert to his favoured central berth, while pacy Festy Ebosele provided a like-for-like replacement in the absence of Chiedozie Ogbene.
Also elevated into the XI was Callum O’Dowda, deputising for the injured Robbie Brady, but the biggest surprise was reserved for the right-back slot, where Matt Doherty was brought in from the cold.
He’d been an early casualty of the new regime, jettisoned after allowing Christos Tzolis sweep in behind him for the second Greece goal in September, but injuries over the weekend prompted a squad recall.
Moreover, he was abseiled straight into the team after doubts over Dara O’Shea’s back injury left the Wolves defender as the only recognised right-back for the defensive quartet format they’ve adopted since the Icelander’s arrival.
O’Dowda’s athleticism was cited by the manager for his promotion but that physicality clocked him an early booking by clattering Robin Lod.
Ireland were glad of the whistle, given the Finnish broke with speed, but it manoeuvred the full-back onto a tightrope for the remainder. Ditto Jason Knight, his high boot on Glen Kamara incurring his caution.
The high press of Ireland predicted by visiting manager Markku Kanerva was soon mobilised, heightening the noise levels as Finland were closed down under pressure but their patience eventually translated into traction further up the pitch.
Finland mixed it up in selection too, Benjamin Källman taking over from Pohjanpalo as the central striker and on a few occasions he was close to replicating his predecessor’s feat in Helsinki of breaching Ireland.
Twice within a 60-second blitz, he had Ireland exposed. The Polish-based forward first attempted a jack-knifed header which Kelleher was relieved to see angle past the post as he scrambled across his goalline.
Moments later, the Corkman stood firm as Källman bore down on goal, using his feet to block a curler destined for the corner.
By that point, Ireland had the ball in the net. All Szmodics was missing in his first eight caps this year was a goal and the offside flag midway through the half denied him, A slick passage of one-touch passing between Doherty, Ebosele and, finally, Ferguson resulted in the latter releasing Szmodics behind two defenders. He did the rest by rounding Lukas Hradecky but his pinching gesture towards the assistant suggested he was aware how marginal the call was.
Szmodics certainly possesses a stubborn side of him, reflective of his late bloomer strides, and he was persistent in conjuring space on the edge of the box to test Hradecky with a shot the stopper turned over.
A cagey start had given way to an open affair during that end-to-end sequence during the last 15 minute of the half.
Ireland were saved by the woodwork twice. When Johnston was in unfamiliar territory facing his own goal near his own box, Robin Lod dispossessed him, only to see his left-footer swerve off the upright.
The post again came to the rescue three minutes before the break as, after one pass out of defence by Robert Ivanov, serrated Ireland midfield, Oliver Antman had the opportunity of stroking his shot home.
Fortunately for Ireland, the deflection his effort took off Nathan Collins sent it rebounding off the post and the defender nodded the loose ball out for corner.
Chances were flowing for both sides and it would boil down to which team was most clinical.
Ireland do, finally, have a forward capable of making the difference but his goal owed much to the trickery of Johnston.
Once he was able to isolate Nikolai Alho into a one-on-one situation cutting in from the left, there was only one winner.
Dashing to the endline was impressive but his spinning cross was perfect for Ferguson to rise between two defenders and cushion home his header from close range.
Finland failed to offer much in response, despite dominating possession for spells, and indeed they could have fallen two goals into arrears had Johnston been able to wrap his foot around the ball at the end of another trademark dribble. His shot just past the hour skewed a yard wide of the far post.
Free-scoring Serie A striker Pohjanpalo was immediately called for and within 10 minutes was presented with a clean pot at Kelleher. As with his goal in the first match, this stemmed from a gift but in this form a harsh penalty.
From Kamara’s dinked cross, Ferguson was adjudged to have handled the flick-on. Well, eventually he was, as pleas from the Finnish convinced referee Harm Osmers to instigate a VAR check.
His outstretched arm was deemed to be an unnatural position and the spot was pointed to by the German official.
Kelleher quashed the injustice, not only judging the direction of the taker’s kick but climbing off his grass to prevent Lod from gobbling up the rebound.
He would be disturbed no more, for Ireland remained solid despite several substitutions testing their shape. They might have grabbed a second with seven minutes left had Szmodics squared rather than shot. The Bayer Leverkusen custodian was never going to be beaten but the Ipswich Town man won’t have to worry about his one-track mind provoking a backlash.
C Kelleher; M Doherty (D O’Shea 76), N Collins, L Scales, C O’Dowda: J Cullen, J Knight; F Ebosele (J Molumby 76), S Szmodics (T Cannon 85), M Johnston (R Manning 85); E Ferguson (F Azaz 76), .
L Hradecky; N Alho (I Niskannen 84), A Hoskonen, R Ivanov, J Uronen (D Hakans 64); R Lod, M Peltola (D O'Shaughnessy 58); K Kairinen, G Kamara, O Antman (J Pohjanpalo 64); B Kallmann (T Pukki 84).
Harm Osmers (GER).
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