Tepid Ireland edge out minnows Gibraltar

The Republic of Ireland saw off the challenge of Gibraltar to consolidate top spot in Group D thanks to an own goal from Joseph Chipolina and a late Robbie Brady strike.

When Ireland grabbed a late draw away to Denmark on Friday night, maintaining their position at the top of the Euro 2020 qualifying group D, the team seem partly fuelled by their Danish opponent Thomas Delaney’s dismissal of the side as “the most annoying team in international football”.

Begrudgingly, however, many Irish fans might even admit there is some truth in that particular argument, or was, at least until recently. There’s a sense of slow revolution about what was a turgid, defensive team, revitalised under the second coming of Mick McCarthy.

It’s not a sweeping change: while Ireland have won two and drawn one of their qualifiers ahead of the Gibraltar game, they’ve also scored only three goals, and conceded just one. It’s the defensive solidity the team has long leant on, but hardly peak footballing entertainment, especially when you factor in the dreadful, narrow win away to tonight’s minnows. And Gibraltar really are minnows.

Gibraltar’s entire population is approximately the size of Ireland’s smallest county, Leitrim, and would fit comfortably in the Aviva Stadium with a full stand to spare. While every player in the Irish squad, bar one, plays in the English leagues, one Gibratan player is on the books of Blackburn Rovers (but yet to play), and another is about to sign for Spanish second tier side Real Oviedo. The rest are amateurs.

Gibraltar have won just four games in their formal international history. By any reasonable standard, things should be very comfortable, and with arguably the tougher half of their qualifying campaign still to come, anything less than a win for the hosts would be utterly unacceptable. Last time Gibraltar visited the Aviva, Ireland saw them off 7-0. Traditionally midfield-focused McCarthy even started with two strikers.

Things started much as you’d expect: Shane Duffy headed over from a strong move down the left, and then David McGoldrick fired just wide after being played clear on the edge of the box, as Ireland pushed forward in the opening stages.

It quickly became clear Gibraltar were going to defend deep. Every time Ireland got the ball, a wall of red and white consisting of every visiting player aligned itself in its own half, with Ireland giving in to the temptation to fire in shots from distance on several occasions, with little accuracy.

What followed is a reflection of Ireland fans’ worst fears about their team. Lacking much bite, they played Gibraltar at their own game for 20 minutes, prompting a bewildered exchange in the press box as every outfield player crowds into a tiny area awaiting a kick out. It was early days, but the frustration was palpable, and the minnows were doing their job.

It took a mistake from the Gibraltar defence to break the lethargy, as the bubbly Callum Robinson snuck the ball on the press, and Conor Hourihane drew a foul, only for the Aston Villa man to slap the ball straight into the wall.

It was McGoldrick’s deflected finish – the break found after Gibraltar made a mess of a ball that found its way into a crossing position for Seamus Coleman –  that finally eased the nerves on 30 minutes. McGoldrick’s goal was scrappy, but with Gibraltar offering little up front, perhaps what the game needed to open up.

Not that things exactly sparkled afterwards: Scott Hogan just failed to beat Kyle Goldwin in the Gibraltar goal to a tight cross. Hendricks just failed to connect with another wide ball, and Hogan skipped past the goalkeeper but ended up far too wide of the post to profit.

Following half time – and the Aviva Stadium announcer mistakenly welcoming back Georgia, instead of Gibraltar – things continued in much the same vein, with Ireland controlling possession but facing a rigid, pressing defence, and lacking the final ball to consistently break it down.

There were sparks: Callum Robinson – incredibly, the only Irish starter under the age of 27 – was in full control on the right hand side, and easily the best attacking outlet. Seamus Coleman looked his usual fluent self down the same wing, and McGoldrick’s impressive effort levels, as usual, were workhorse like.

With much of the game taking place around the fringes of the Gibraltar box, McGoldrick drew a save, while Jeff Hendrick and Robinson were both denied by blocks. There was more trickery from Robinson – comfortably the best player on the pitch, who played in Hogan, only denied by Goldwin in the Gibraltar goal.

It was one way traffic as McGoldrick fired against the Gibraltar post after 70 minutes, in what turned into an attack v defence style training game, Gibraltar occasionally finding a little space on the break, but offering nothing approaching the qualify to take advantage.

It took until the final seconds for Ireland to finally, conclusively puts things to bed, with substitute Robbie Brady heading in a cross that guaranteed a win that’s a touch insipid, but after the opener, never in too much doubt.

McCarthy’s second stint has started well on paper. Ten points from a possible twelve have come against Gibraltar twice, Georgia at home, and a visit to a Danish side who seemed irritated by Ireland before they turned up. It’s very solid, but also very unspectacular, with plenty of room for attacking improvement. That said, if McCarthy can secure a spot at a European Championship that’s dropping in for four games in Dublin, how pretty it all is won’t be of much concern to anyone on the Emerald Isle.

IRELAND: Randolph (gk, Middlesbrough), Coleman (c, Everton), Stevens (Sheffield United), Duffy (Brighton), Keogh (Derby County), McGoldrick (Sheffield United), McClean (Stoke City), Robinson (Preston), Hendrick (Burnley), Hourihane (Aston Villa), Hogan (Aston Villa). SUB: Maguire (‘65, Preston), Brady (‘73, Burnley)

GOALS: McGoldrick (‘30), Brady (‘90)

GIBRALTAR:  Godwin (gk. Gibraltar United), J. Chipolina (Lincoln red Imps), Sergeant (West Didsbury), Annesley (Blackburn Rovers), Casciaro (Lincoln Red Imps), Walker (Europa), Pons (Lincoln Red Imps), Olivero (Europa), R. Chipolina (Lincoln Red Imps), Hernandez (Lincoln Red Imps), De Barr (Europa). SUB: Bardon (9 minutes, unattached), Britto (‘63 minutes, Mons Calpe)