Portugal enter Ireland's group as top seeds but domestic doubts linger
IRELAND GROUP:Portugal will complete Ireland’s World Cup group as top seeds but manager Roberto Martinez and captain Cristiano Ronaldo continue to face negativity. Pic: AP Photo/Luis Vieira
Portugal will complete Ireland’s World Cup group as top seeds but manager Roberto Martinez and captain Cristiano Ronaldo continue to face negativity.
Denmark were four minutes away from beating the Portuguese in Lisbon on Thursday until Trincão took the Uefa Nations League tie to extra-time.
The Sporting Lisbon star scored again, as did Gonçalo Ramos, to win the game 5-2, a 5-3 aggregate triumph.
Their prize is a semi-final clash against Germany and a somewhat easier pool for next year’s World Cup finals across US, Canada and Mexico.
Hungary, Ireland and Armenia await them in a four-nation group to be contested between September and November.
Whoever tops the group progresses directly to the finals with the runner-up entering the playoff labyrinth.
Star Ronaldo had hit out against the blaze of flak heaped on the team in the aftermath of Thursday’s first-leg defeat in Copenhagen.
He led their revival, recovering from a missed penalty to score, and will renew his duels with Ireland in Lisbon on October 11 and in Dublin on November 13.
Ronaldo scored a brace apiece in his last two home games against Ireland, the famous late 2-1 comeback win at the start of the last World Cup series and a friendly in Aveiro ahead of the Euros last summer.
“I don’t agree with the criticism of attitude because there’s never a lack of attitude within the national team,” he sniped back at the detractors.
“Tactically, things didn’t go well at all. I didn’t play well, the team didn’t play well but that’s part of life - we are not computers.” Bernardo Silva concurred.
Speaking after winning his 100th cap, the 30-year-old highlighted the extremes of fan reaction.
The Manchester City playmaker said: “Those who have been in football for many years, like myself and Ronaldo and the coach, know that when we win we are the best in the world and the next day we lose and we are the worst.
“There is no middle ground. Regardless of who our leader is, we will go to the death with our coach.” That leader is former Wigan Athletic, Everton and Belgium supremo Martinez.
“I'm calm because when we lose it's my fault and when we win players get the credit,” he noted with a splurge of sarcasm before citing his record at the helm.
“Over two years, we have lost two competitive games. And one was against Georgia when we were first in our Euro finals group, qualified for the next round.
“So, in two years, 28 games, there’s one defeat. I don’t think there are many national teams in the world who have achieved that.
John O’Shea was in caretaker charge for the last meeting with his former Manchester United teammate last June.
He’s nowadays flanking permanent boss Heimir Hallgrímsson and fresh from discovering the opponents straight after victory against Bulgaria, he dismissed any comparisons due to the calendar difference.
“It’s a different situation,” the Ireland assistant O’Shea stressed about that lobsided 3-0 loss.
“You’re going into a World Cup qualifier and Portugal are a number one seed.
“Denmark pushed them very close but you’re fully aware the quality of the squad they have.
“We’ll be facing them hopefully in a totally different situation, in the sense of the time of the season.
“When you’re playing a team like that, you don’t want to have lads coming back from weddings and holidays etc. It’ll be right in the meat of the season.”
Thursday, March 20: Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2, Plovdiv.
Sunday, March 23: Ireland 2 Bulgaria 1, Aviva Stadium.
Fri, June 6/Sat June 7: Ireland v Senegal, Aviva Stadium (TBC).
Tuesday June 10: Luxembourg v Ireland, Stade de Luxembourg (TBC).
Saturday, Sept 6: Ireland v Hungary, Aviva Stadium (7.45pm)
Tuesday, Sept 9: Armenia v Ireland, Yerevan (5pm, Irish time)
Saturday, Oct 11: Portugal v Ireland, (7.45pm)
Tuesday, Oct 14: Ireland v Armenia, Aviva Stadium (7.45pm).
Thursday, Nov 13: Ireland v Portugal, Aviva Stadium (7.45pm).
Sunday, Nov 16: Hungary v Ireland, (2pm, Irish Time).
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