Ireland show three of the best with victory over New Zealand

The second coming of Mick McCarthy as Republic of Ireland managers remains in limbo.

The much-changed team that emerged to a sparsely-populated Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Thursday night, however, will not be the one that gets the chance to change that.

The Kiwis are very much the warm act here, with McCarthy chose to put out a young, unfamiliar side as he continued the preparations for unquestionably the biggest game of his tenure early next week.

Should Ireland defeat Denmark on Monday, they will qualify for the Euros, and no matter what happens there, most Irish fans will view his return as an unqualified success.

Fail to beat the more illustrious Danes, though, and the backdoor to the continental contest will remain open through the playoffs. Nevertheless, many will point to his somewhat industrial style of play and reliance on the old names as being conservative, defensive, and, frankly, just a little bit rubbish to watch.

A stark contrast, coincidentally, with the team of Stephen Kenny, Ireland’s entertaining and attack-minded under-21 side coach, who’s already slated to take McCarthy’s place.

Before the passions boil over on Monday, though, comes the friendly trial, very much a lesser introduction. As far as opposition go, on paper a New Zealand side that – while based all over the world – had largely travelled from other continents to brave the cold in Dublin should have proven a showcase; a chance for Ireland’s up-and-comers and lesser lights to stake a claim to a place in a McCarthy side that has something of a short remaining shelf life.

How seriously are the hosts taking this contest? There are some players in the Ireland starting XI that would be at the fringes of even fairly passionate local football fan’s knowledge.

The Kiwis dropped in on Dublin a few years ago, not to play the national team, but for an unglamourous tie against second-tier south Dublin club Cabinteely, defeating the amateurs 5-2. New Zealand, it’s fair to say, are regional giants, but global minnows, and, in an odd-twist of qualifying silliness, playing their first competitive game in two years. They’re ranked 121st in the world to Ireland’s 36th.

After a tepid start, the first solid attack of the night came from a sharp turn on the edge of the box by Alan Browne, who bamboozled two defenders and played in Derrick Williams on the edge of the box, only for the defender to slide weakly wide.

League of Ireland man Jack Byrne – a rare representative for Ireland’s homegrown league – looked lively in midfield, with Preston forward Sean Maguire wrangling space down the left-wing, but the visitors were a decent match, and snatched some competent but not overly threatening possession in the middle of the park.

Troy Parrott’s solid but unrewarded call for a penalty on 19 minutes was the result of Ireland building pressure, before Maguire hit a one-on-one straight at Marinovic in the Kiwi goal off a fantastic Lee O’Connor ball, with Byrne’s shot on the rebound blocked.

While Ireland were showing almost all the flair, the hosts were almost as blunt as their visitors were rusty. It was the normally reliable Ireland defence that blinked first, though, as a fairly innocuous-looking run by Liberato Cacace ended with a whipped ball across the face of goal, tapped in by debutant Callum McCowatt. The All Whites lead against the run of play, in a pointed lesson to the unfamiliar Ireland squad on attacking efficiency, after a period that has effectively been attack vs defence at the other end.

When Sean Maguire won a corner, nodded in by Derrick Williams amid a curiously static visiting defence, Ireland got the reward their play richly deserved. The whole thing, frankly, has the feel of a training game.

With the visitors so markedly rusty, it did seem a matter of time before Ireland found a second-half winner. Lee O’Connor, somewhat bewilderingly playing his first senior match at international level before he’d made a professional club appearance, looked a wide threat, alongside the twin pacey youngsters of Parrott and Byrne.

Kieran O’Hara was nonetheless forced into a flying save from the boot of Ryan Thomas early on, but at the other end, Maguire found space on the edge of the box and fired past Marinovic into the top right-hand corner. Ireland were finally finding some attacking clout from the edge of the box.

The Kiwis were languid, but nevertheless threaten, while Ireland rang the changes and started to look a little bitty around the centre. Substitute Robinson had a decent effort saved at the near post as Ireland broke, before O’Connor – a constant wide threat – whipped in a cross from the right for Robinson to casually head home.

Robinson – a constant threat – again had a decent effort with ten remaining, though his choice to shoot as Ireland attacked with four on three was somewhat selfish, forcing Marinovic to tip over from the edge of the box. Collins probably should have scored, as he went one-on-one after Robinson robbed the ball. The game, ultimately, petered into a quiet finish.

There’s only so much you can learn, ultimately, from games like this. New Zealand are clearly in need of some competitive contests. Ireland lack depth, but there are several players – especially Jack Byrne and Derrick Williams – who really should be in the frame for more regular first-team appearances. As many had previously suspected, that Byrne plays his football locally doesn’t mean he’s not up to the job, though he’ll probably find himself in more lofty pastures by the end of the winter transfer window.

In the realm of international football, today’s game will remain a mere footnote. For Ireland, Monday night’s fixture against Denmark, meanwhile, looms large.

Republic of Ireland: Derrick Williams (‘44), Sean Maguire (‘51), Callum Robinson (‘75)

New Zealand: Callum McCowatt (‘31)

Republic of Ireland: Kieran O’Hara (gk)(Burton Albion), Lee O’Connor (Celtic), Kevin Long (Burnley), Sean Maguire (Preston), Alan Browne (Preston), Robbie Brady (c)(Burnley), Troy Parrott (Tottenham), Jack Byrne (Shamrock Rovers), Josh Cullen (Charlton), Ciaran Clark (Newcastle), Derrick Williams (Blackburn)

Subs: Callum O’Dowda (Bristol City)(for Williams, ‘56), Alan Judge (Ipswich Town)(for Jack Byrne, ‘62), Callum Robinson (Sheffield United)(for Troy Parrott, ‘62), Hourihane (Aston Villa)(for Browne, ‘66), Mark Travers (Bournemouth)(gk)(for O’Hara, ‘66), James Collins (Luton Town)(Sean Maguire, ‘73)

New Zealand: Stefan Marinovic (gk)(Wellington Phoenix), Winston Reid (c)(West Ham), Liberato Cacace (Wellington Phoenix), Michael Boxall (Minnesota United), Joe Bell (University of Virginia), Chris Wood (Burnley), Sarpreet Singh (Bayern Munich), Callum McCowatt (Wellington Phoenix), Ryan Thomas (PSV Eindhoven), Storm Roux (Melbourne Victory), Elijah Just (Helsingor)

Subs: Michael McGlinchey (Central Coast Mariners) (for Ryan Thomas, ‘73), Tommy Smith (Colorado Rapids)(for Michael Boxall, ‘73), Elliot Collier (Memphis 901)(for Callum McCowatt, ‘85), Tim Payne (Storm Roux, ‘90)