Ireland grab another comeback victory to secure Nations League B status
SEVENTH EVAN: Republic of Ireland's Evan Ferguson celebrates. Pic: Brian Lawless/PA Wire.
MANIAC 2000 was blaring out at half-time and another comeback win to record a fourth victory in six matches has Irish fans believing the good times are back.
League B status is secured for next year’s Nations League but the microscope is firmly on returning to the United States a few months earlier if they can transfer this gush of form into the World Cup qualifiers.
Notwithstanding Valentin Antov’s 30th-minute breakthrough, which risked Ireland being taken to extra-time and possibly penalties, the hosts produced a second dominant performance in four days.
It was eventually reflected in goals by striker Evan Ferguson and substitute Adam Idah to complete another 2-1 triumph.
Changing a winning team is always risky but there was a balance to strike when the most important games of the year start six months away.
It was revealed by Heimir Hallgrímsson that more than two alternations were pre-planned before Thursday’s second come-from-behind away win in five months but he promoted a pair of Premier League players to his line-up.
Both players to drop out, Dara O’Shea while Ryan Manning, also operate in the English top-flight but the Icelander felt Jake O’Brien and Ferguson were worthy of their places.
While O’Brien for O’Shea was a straight swap in central defence, the assumption that Ferguson would function as the sole striker was debunked when the start of the game saw his act as positioned off Troy Parrott.
The latter led the line brilliantly in Plovdiv, executing a cushioned volleyed assist for the equaliser, and his retention also meant the squad’s in-form striker at club level was spearheading the attack.
He fully deserved his man-of-the-match gong here.
Something had to give amid the changes and it boiled down to Azaz being redeployed from the central berth he’s excelled for this season at Middlesbrough – and in the first leg – to the left of the three-man supporting cast.
Ilian Iliev’s pre-match concession of the tie by the midway mark might have been believable when he serrated his selection with six changes, not all enforced.
A switch to a back-five also indicated the Bulgaria manager was engaging in experimentation and although the overall seems slow to click, it was through one of his wing-backs where the goal originated.
Ireland ought to have swelled their advantage by that halfway mark, at least finishing one of the three chances created.
On his 50th cap, Matt Doherty looked hungry for another goal, surging from defence to exchange passes with Azaz in a move that eventually led to an early corner.
His opposite full-back Robbie Brady, earning his 70th cap, has enjoyed an international renewal under the new manager and continues to be his go-to man – and not confined to set-plays.
O’Brien’s 6’6” frame was the target for the inswinger and, though Plamen Iliev batted away the header, fellow centre-back Nathan Collins would have finished the rebound only for tangling his legs when the loose ball dropped.
From another Brady 23rd-minute delivery, this time on the run, the space was there to attack but rather than Ferguson or Parrott arriving, it was a player renowned for his heels rather than height.
Unmarked Mikey Johnston got his shoulder instead of his head to the delivery, conspiring to angle the ball wide.
Unsurprisingly, it was Brady the creator for the third opening – squaring for Parrott to sweep a shot off the butt of the post. Despite the flag being raised, a VAR replay would have proved the AZ Alkmaar sharpshooter was onside.
Those spate of openings had the strong turnout for a school night in full voice but their pattern of being silenced returned following Bulgaria’s first attack.
Doziness seeped in when allowing Nikolay Minkov to ghost in behind Brady, who recovered to deflect the cross out for the corner.
Yet Brady and Josh Cullen were nearest – albeit nowhere near – the two unmarked Bulgarian teammates Kiril Despodov could pick out undetected 25 yards out.
Giorgi Milanov profited from the expert delivery and space to drill his volley into the six-yard box where a mix-up between Collins and O’Brien was gobbled up by Valentin Antov.
The defender didn’t require pace on his swivelled shot eight yards to stroke it past a static Caoimhin Kelleher.
Behind very much against the run of play, similar to the first leg, Ireland soon rallied with Parrott flicking another peach of a cross by Brady onto the top of the net. O’Brien, too, threatened before the break with a customary header from a corner cleared off the line by Simeon Petrov.
Traffic continued to be one-way after the restart. Johnston, when fed by Parrott on the right, blazed his shot wide of the near post when he was better served teeing up a team.
Azaz then speared his volley wide before Parrott robbed Petrov on the halfway line and freed Ferguson. He opted to shoot early, forcing Iliev to stoop law and paw away for a corner.
It seemed an equaliser on the night was inevitable and it was a beauty on 64 minutes. Ferguson dropped deep to receive a pass from Collins before swapping passes with Azaz to create the angle. Power was his preference and the ball duly smashed into the roof of the net.
Reaching parity on the night didn’t prevent mixing it up to seek a winner and Idah was one of the trio introduced within a minute of the leveller.
So too was Mark Sykes and he contributed to the second goal, not essential for the scoreline but desirable to maintain the winning feeling.
Once Azaz released the Belfast man free on the counter, he ran with the ball to the left side of the area, looked up and floated a cross towards Idah.
He arrived on cue from the right to sidefoot his volley home, ensuring his five minutes of the window were impactful.
Next Ireland must carry theirs, as a whole, into the summer and autumn.
C Kelleher; M Doherty, N Collins, J O’Brien, R Brady (R Manning 65); J Cullen, J Knight (J Taylor 82); M Johnston (A Idah 65), E Ferguson (J Dunne 74), F Azaz; T Parrott (M Sykes 65),.
P Iliev; N Minkov, S Petrov, V Antov, A Nedyalkov, F Nuernberger (I Iliev 89); G Milanov (F Krastev 75), I Gruev (S Shopov 90); M Petkov (R Kirilov 75), B Kraev (V Nikolov 60), K Despodov.
Umut Meler (TUR) - subbed HT by Mehmet Turkman (TUR).
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