Penalty pain again as Ireland World Cup road ends in Prague
HEARTBREAK: The pain of missing out on the World Cup is plan to see for Ireland defender Nathan Collins after Thursday night's penalty shoot out defeat to Czechia at the Fortuna Arena in Prague. Pic: Ben Brady, Inpho
Italia ’90 was the last time Ireland won a penalty shootout and those scenes won’t be recreated this summer after a third successive failure on spot-kicks.
Misses by Finn Azaz and Alan Browne, after Irish goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher had made the first save from Mojmír Chytil, set up Jan Kliment to convert the decisive kick.
Hurt from this one will linger, given the commanding position Ireland squandered.
Two goals up within 23 minutes, and deservedly so, the sole blot on an otherwise perfect half was the concession of a penalty that gave Czechia hope in what seemed a hopeless place of Prague.
Foremost in the litany of criticisms from the 2-1 defeat to Armenia last September was the ineffectiveness of Jake O’Brien’s long throws.
Six months later and the Corkman’s sideline scuds were instrumental in Ireland’s goals.
Vladimír Darida, on his international comeback at 35, was fractionally late with his tackle on Nathan Collins from the 15th minute throw, prompting a VAR review that led to Troy Parrott smashing the penalty home for his 32nd goal of the season.
An earlier throw on seven minutes had produced chaos for Collins to clatter his deflected shot from 20 yards off the crossbar.
Another set-piece, this time Ryan Manning’s inswinging corner, has the hosts scrambling.
For all the local talk of Miroslav Koubek tactical genius, his failure to rectify leaving Dara O’Shea undetected from corners would eventually cost them.
Once he was left alone at the back post, O’Shea had time to head back across goal, forcing a trio of Czechia players to fluff their clearance.
Vladimir Coufal could only produce a hapless clearance off his post with the rebound glancing off the back of his goalkeeper Matěj Kovář before crossing the line.
Referee Glenn Nyberg pointed to his watch to confirm the own-goal by the PSV stopper, sending the Irish section on in the corner, and plenty speckled either side, into delirium.
Valid questions about Koubek’s capacity for adapting to the international arena heightened in recent days when word leaked out of camp about Tomás Soucek being dropped.
Pavel Nedvěd, now general manager, was involved in stripping Soucek of the captaincy after last year’s petulance but the decision to end his nine-year run as a regular rested solely with Koubek.
His misjudged major statement and error of judgement was evidenced by introducing the 31-year-old at half-time when chasing the game. His choice of pairing one targetman, 6’3” Patrik Schick, with a taller beanpole, Tomáš Chorý, backfired too but they got there in the end with some Irish generosity.
Perhaps the unforeseen cushion played tricks on Manning’s mind because three minutes after the second goal his unnecessary tug on Ladislav Krejčí’s jersey presented Czechs a comeback route.
Even penalty save king Kelleher was left static as Schick found the top corner with the spot kick for his 51st international goal.
Kelleher wasn’t troubled after the lead was halved and it was Ireland whose threat was stronger.
Defensive disarray, combined with Chiedozie Ogbene’s running power, produced several openings for the visitors to swell their buffer.
Ogbene had set the tone after just three minutes by winning a corner off the back-peddling Krejčí that he greeted with a fist-pump to rouse the crowd. Séamus Coleman mirrored the gesture later in the half when nicking the ball off Schick just as the Bundesliga striker attempted to use his frame to engineer a clear sight on goal.
At 1-0, Parrott was found free inside the box from a squared Ogbene pass, only to lose his footing at the crucial moment.
Finn Azaz was on the end of another move approaching the break, curling a rising left-footer which Kovář did well to gather. Ireland headed to the dressing-room aware there were further goals to be mined from a ropey rearguard.
Although the reply and introduction of Soucek as part of a double substitution injected purpose to the Czechia structure, it was Ireland that conjured the clear chances.
Jayson Molumby has spent much of the first half winding up Schick and their other star, Player of the Year Pavel Sulc, but he was inches from grabbing Ireland’s third when winding up a shot on 53 minutes. A half-cleared Azaz corner fell in his direction on the edge of the box and a dipping volley rebounded off the post and into the six yard box.
Ten minutes from the end, Parrott wriggled free inside the box to steer a header that Kovar dived high to his left to tip around the post.
Those misses would eventually sting Ireland with five minutes left. Robbie Brady, on for the injured Manning, justifiably felt aggrieved at the assistant for penalising him near the corner flag for felling substitute Adam Karabec.
Yet he and his teammates switched off from the delivery by Michal Sadílek to the front post, enabling Krejčí to crown his captaincy debut by applying the connection with the side of his head.
Extra-time brought further substitutions and another frivolous call for VAR when Molumby’s arm took the brunt of a shot. It was correctly judged to be a natural position.
Of more concern for Ireland was Soucek ghosting in during the first period to blaze a close-range volley over the crossbar. Again, Brady was furious at the Swedish referee for not spotting an infringement in the build-up.
Concern of a higher level was apparent after Sammie Szmodics fell awkwardly within minutes of being introduced. He was stretchered off to make way for debutant Harvey Vale, the last incident before the dreaded penalties sunk Ireland.
Tuesday’s dead rubber against North Macedonia will only go to deepen the pain.
M Kovar; T Holes (Š Chaloupek 46), R Hranac; L Krejci; V Coufal (A Karabec 83), V Darida (T Soucek 46), L Provod, P Sulc (J Kliment 102), D Jurasek (M Sadelik 82); T Chory (M Chytil 74), P Schick.
C Kelleher; J O’Brien, N Collins, D O’Shea; S Coleman (J Dunne 96), J Taylor (A Browne 68), J Molumby (S Szmodics 115 – H Vale 120), R Manning (R Brady 68); C Ogbene (A Idah 96), F Azaz; T Parrott.
Glenn Nyberg (SWE)
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