Scales red card key in second half downfall after promising first half performance
DOWNFALL: Heimir Hallgrímsson did predict there’d be suffering and Ireland's second half downfall started when Scales saw red.
Well, Heimir Hallgrímsson did predict there’d be suffering.
For 45 minutes, England were the team feeling the pain, their bluntness in attack coupled with Ireland’s disciplined defence contributing to the teams marching down the Wembley tunnel scoreless.
Indeed, Lee Carsley ought to have added relief to his emotions, owing to a replete a cast-iron Ireland penalty claim rejected.
Bored home fans had resorted to manufacturing and throwing paper aeroplanes for entertainment until another penalty decision swung the contest in a direction that was irreversible.
Two wins from the opening five matches ensured Ireland were safe from relegation to the third tier of Uefa League Nations. That’s just for the time-being, as there’s a playoff in March to navigate.
Consequently, this was a free hit for Ireland, a match in which the result was immaterial. Where the damage stems from, however, was the capitulation of conceding five times in 30 minutes.
It was understandable Hallgrímsson accused his players of “giving up”, a barb he later clarified as harsh.
What he’s learned is the stated gameplan of stifling superior opponents is only relevant if discipline is constant.
The harsh reality is that Liam Scales lost his discipline. Once he invited a booking for kicking the ball away in the first half, a tightrope was to be balanced. Not keeping his as Harry Kane skipped back inside him seven minutes after the restart wasn’t merely personally costly.
Opponents of England’s calibre, not one but two higher seeded nations, will be drawn above Ireland in the groups to be made for the World Cup on December 13. Solid displays for portions of matches, even as a half, are a surefire method of Ireland’s tournament drought protracting beyond a decade.
As anticipated, and accepted, by the manager, Ireland ceded possession early, a trend of sufferance was bearable for the greater gameplan.
They gifted Noni Madueke and Anthony Gordon scope to raid the flanks and yet corners were defended efficiently and Caoimhin Kelleher wasn’t tested. Sadly, the yield from that early rearguard action wasn’t rewarded with the penalty they deserved.
A long pass from Dara O’Shea had Marc Guehi scrambling to the extent that he tugged the jersey of Evan Ferguson. Allowing the striker to get the wrong side of him forced the infringement but no whistle came from the Belgian referee.
That Ferguson didn’t take long to bring himself off the turf probably influenced the outcome but replays illustrated a clear foul in the build-up.
Sammie Szmodics also succeeded in ghosting in behind from a Jayson Molumby crossfield delivery shortly after, only for Kyle Walker to recover top stretch and nod the ball back to Jordan Pickford.
Tenacious tackles by Festy Ebosele on Lewis Hall as well as Scales clattering into Kane, both fairly, had the Ireland crowd roused but Kane was fortunate to only incur a booking for hauling the persistent Molumby to the turf as the break approached.
If that opening 45 was promising, the second was alarming.
It all went downhill for Ireland when Kane’s diagonal pass freed Bellingham into the penalty area.
Scales, on the back foot, used his trailing foot to trip the Real Madrid star as he cut back inside, leading to the penalty decision.
Although Kelleher had saved a penalty on Thursday against Finland, he was unable to repeat the trick against Kane – the English captain stalling before sending the stopper the wrong way with his sidefooted finish.
Scales’s woe was compounded with a second yellow card and the numerical disadvantage precipitated a disintegration of shape.
Tino Livramento capped his bow with an assist, dribbling past Szmodics too easily on the right to whip in his cross.
Confusion between Nathan Collins and Josh Cullen had the effect of the ball deflecting perfectly for Anthony Gordon to steer his volley home.
Two became three moments later, the goals more incessant than the light drizzle in the London air, magnifying the Irish collapse.
From Madueke’s corner, Guehi was first up to flick on and Conor Gallagher nipped in behind Mark McGuinness at the back post to prod the ball over the line. It marked a testing debut for the defender as Bellingham was queuing up to apply the touch too.
Containment applied for Ireland thereafter, that was until they were dissected twice more in the space of five minutes.
Jarrod Bowen had only been introduced as a substitute when he was left unmarked on the edge of the box to drill a shot through a thicket of players beyond Kelleher.
Carsley and his assistant Ashley Cole were entitled to rejoice on the touchline at their rehearsed move bearing fruit.
Another substitute, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, became the final beneficiary of Ireland being caught square for the umpteenth time, attacking space between two defenders to connect with a Morgan Rogers cross and head into the bottom corner.
Roy Keane’s future son-in-law completing the rout for a former Ireland midfielder only deepened the sense of despair.
: J Pickford; T Livramento, K Walker (T Harwood-Bellis, 62), M Guehi, L Hall; C Jones (A Gomes 78), C Gallagher (D Solanke 75); N Madueke (J Bowen 75), J Bellingham, A Gordon (M Rogers 74); H Kane.
: C Kelleher; D O'Shea, M McGuinness, L Scales, C O’Dowda (R Manning 66) ; F Ebosele (F Azaz 66), J Cullen (A Moran 77), N Collins, J Molumby, S Szmodics (K McAteer 88); E Ferguson (T Parrott 66).
: Erik Lambrechts (BEL)
: 79,969.
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