It was a fairy-tale ending to an impressive international break for Preston North End’s Robbie Brady who was recalled to the squad earlier this month for the first time since March 2021.
On his first start since the recall, the 30-year-old got an assist in addition to scoring a stoppage-time penalty which sealed a 3-2 win for the boys in green and secured their Nations League B status.
It’s been a resurgence for Brady since reigniting his career with a move back to Lancashire under Ryan Lowe at Preston.
The winger, who’s featured mainly as a left wing-back for the Lilywhites, is no stranger to the North-West after spending four years at Burnley.
And it appears to have been the perfect move as he signed as a free agent on a one-year deal that will surely be extended at Deepdale after a strong first quarter of the season on a personal level.
Furthermore, Brady is no stranger to the international stage either. Over 50 senior caps, representing his country at the European Championships, becoming the under 21’s highest scorer of all time before claiming a goal and two assists on his senior debut again Oman, Brady’s CV is one of the most impressive in England’s second tier.
But his return to the starting XI could’ve possibly been more plane-sailing, yet it’s likely he wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Ireland took an early lead as John Egan rose highest from a Brady corner to open the scoring before Swansea’s Michael Obafemi struck from 25-yards to double the Irish advantage.
But the Armenian side struck back with two goals in the space of three minutes levelling the scores, both efforts coming from distance to shock the Aviva stadium.
Defeat would’ve relegated the Irish and with Scotland topping the group, relegation could’ve felt even worse. But as Armenia were reduced to nine men, Ireland were awarded a penalty for handball to which Brady calmly stepped up and slotted home, sending the ‘keeper the wrong way in the process.
Whilst Brady has put in some excellent performances so far this season, he’s not got the assists or goals to back up his performances in what has been a struggling Preston side so far this campaign.
However, coming back from the international pause full of confidence, can Brady have the type of inspiration in Lancashire as he did in Dublin as he dragged his nation to safety from relegation and gave the Irish fans a night to remember on his return to the side?
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]]>Wales slipped to defeat in Cardiff against Poland in a game they had to win to retain their place at the top tier of the Nations League.
Robert Page started with Gareth Bale up top alongside the promising Brennan Johnson of Notts Forest. Dylan Levitt and Ben Cabango came in for the suspended Ethan Ampdadu and Chris Mepham.
A sizeable away contingent was present in Cardiff to cheer on Czeslaw Michniewicz’s men, who began with Barcelona’s Polish legend Robert Lewandowski at number 9.
A full house gave the sides a tremendous welcome as the sides entered the field with so much to play for.
An early lapse of concentration in the Welsh defence almost let in Napoli midfielder Piotr Zieliński but referee Mr Treimanis spotted an infringement.
Wales pressed hard in the opening exchanges with Bale, Jonson and Dan James prominent with Cabango looking assured at the back.
Despite the lively opening, neither goalkeeper was greatly troubled in the opening 20 minutes of this evenly balanced encounter.
Zieliński hit the deck following an altercation with Connor Roberts and as the half wore on the Neapolitan’s influence grew. Wayne Hennessey did well to hold a header from Jakub Kiwior as the Poles began to look the more threatening side.
Dan James burst through on the half hour mark but his low shot was kept out by Juventus keeper Wojciech Szczęsny in the Polish goal, the first real chance for the home side.
A surging run from Welsh midfielder Joe Morell was halted by an infringement by Grzgegorz Krychowiak as Robert Page’s began to up their game whilst the Pole saw yellow.
Welsh hearts were in mouths on 39 minutes as Hennessey almost let a harmless looking ball slip under his feet. The Forest keeper also needed to be alert to keep out an effort from Piotr Zielinski
At the other end, Johnson fired inches wide as the game grew in excitement.
Bale almost got his toe on the end of a high ball in the box at the close of the first half but Szczęsny was there just in time.
Bartosz Bereszyński began the second 45 by going to ground under a challenge from Neco Williams which saw a yellow card for the Forest star. At the other end, James was sent to the deck courtesy of what looked to be a Polish elbow.
The large Polish support were on their feet on 56 minutes as Lewandowski set up Karol Świders who fired their team ahead. A sea of flares and rockets lit up the away section of the stadium as the Polish fans around the ground filled the night air with song.
Bournemouth striker Kieffer Moore replaced Rhys Norrington-Davies of Sheffield United as Page knew that Wales needed goals. The home fans in a crowd of 31, 520 did their utmost to inspire their side but the Poles were a tough nut to crack. A lack of composure in front of goal did little to help the Welsh cause.
Cardiff City youngster Rubin Colwill came on with 20 minutes left on the clock but this was an almighty task for the talented Bluebird to fix.
The home side simply could not impose themselves on their opponents despite continuing to chase the game. Colwill drifted into the box but could not make it pay; James was halted and blocked at every opportunity.
Wales continued to press as we entered five minutes of added time but you sensed that this was not to be their night – despite a late header form Bale that thudded against the bar.
Polish strength and some canny gamesmanship could not be overcome and Wales slipped to defeat – and relegation from the group.
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Photo: Stephen Gormley (Red Eye Photo Agency)
Ireland suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Scotland in Glasgow on Saturday in a feisty Nations League game but hope remains around a youthful Irish squad.
There was a feeling among supporters that Stephen Kenny’s side left the points on the pitch at Hampden Park after taking the game to the hosts and going in at half-time deservedly in front.
Sheffield United’s John Egan swivelled and produced a brilliant finish past Craig Gordon after a dangerous James McClean set-piece to send the 3,000 strong travelling support wild.
Scotland responded well but Ireland held out and went in at the break in front whilst in a confident mood.
However, the lead was soon cancelled out when Jack Hendry pounced on some poor marking and Matt Doherty failing to prevent a cross from the left to glance a header in off the far post.
This may have sent other Irish sides into their shells in previous years but Kenny’s men responded again and spurned a glorious chance to re-take the lead.
With Scotland being pushed forward by their own supporters, an attacking set-play broke down and Michael Obafemi picked up the ball in his own half. The Swansea striker showed electric pace to ride the challenge of Ryan Christie before composing himself to pick out Troy Parrott.
Photo: Stephen Gormley (Red Eye Photo Agency)
The on-loan Preston man has struggled for goals this season and you could see why as the striker scuffed his attempt at giving Gordon the eyes, with the 39-year-old saving with his legs.
This miss would prove extremely costly when Alan Browne was penalised for handball in the Irish area. The referee showed no hesitation in pointing to the spot with Christie calmly rolling the ball home to allow the Scots to claim the victory and move within a point of promotion to League A.
It was a defeat that was very hard to take for Irish supporters but sight must not be lost of what was another encouraging display. The points tally does not show it, but Ireland have improved as this group has gone on after a dreadful opening defeat in Armenia.
Priority now of course is survival in League B with a place in pot three of the Euro 2024 qualifiers already confirmed. A point at home to Armenia will stave off relegation but a win should be the aim to give the side some much needed confidence.
It is a results business at the end of the day but in the grand scheme of things, only a handful of nations can truly hang their hat on winning the majority of their games and regularly qualifying for the big tournaments.
For smaller nations, a positive style of play will go a long way to appeasing supporters who spend hard-earned money to support the team. There are plenty of nay-sayers at the minute who only look at results but the majority of the match going fans are firmly behind Kenny and what he is trying to achieve.
The age of the squad has dropped dramatically and while there are not enough players playing at the highest level, Kenny has definitely got a tune out of what many would describe as a weak squad.
The spine of the team will only become more experienced as they play together. Gavin Bazunu is a real highlight in goal while Nathan Collins has emerged in the last year and brings a real touch of class to the defence. The return from injury of Andrew Omobamidele will only improve things at the back.
Further up the field there are issues but in Obafemi and Chiedozie Ogbenie, Ireland have something that they have not possessed for a while. Pace.
Ogbene has added more goals this Championship while Obafemi has done well since joining Swansea, attracting interest in the summer from Burnley.
More goals in the team is a must but with the under 21 side going well in Euro qualification, hopes are high for the likes of Evan Ferguson to make the step up to senior level.
Kenny has signed on for at least the next qualification cycle and that will probably decide his tenure.
For some, failure to qualify would mean the end of his spell in charge and it would be hard to argue against it. But Ireland could potentially find themselves in a group with Spain, England and Turkey. Nobody would have them qualifying from a group like that so expectations should be weighed up after the draw.
More positive displays like Saturday should yield more wins than defeats. A victory against Armenia in front of the home supporters would finish the year off well before sights can be set on Germany in 2024.
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Cardiff City Stadium plays host to another ‘winner takes all’ night this Sunday as Robert Page’s Wales side face Poland in a relegation decider to see which of the teams holds onto their place in the top tier of the Nations League.
Victory over the indifferent Poles could see Wales edge past them to secure another sitting at the top table of European football where they would rub shoulders with the European elite.
A draw or a loss against Poland would leave Wales at the bottom of group A4. A victory is vital. England’s defeat to Italy sees them relegated from group A3, which could leave Wales as the UK’s only representative in the top tier.
Wales’ most recent opponents certainly match the elite description as a Belgium side inspired by Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne proved too strong for the stubborn Welsh.
At times things looked grim for Page’s outfit as the gap in class looked capable of indicating a heavy defeat for captain Wayne Hennessey and his brave comrades. De Bruyne barely seemed to break sweat as the Red Devils of Belgium took a 2-0 interval lead.
Bournemouth striker Kieffer Moore lifted the spirits of the 2,500 thirsty Welsh fans who had travelled to Belgium though, nodding home a cross from the impressive Brennan Johnson to grab his ninth international goal on 50 minutes. The Forest winger was full of running and must surely start against the Poles.
Despite a spirited rally, Wales could not trouble the scoreboard again and left the field having lost 2-1.
Page will take heart from the result in Brussels. If Wales are to compete at the top of the international stage then they can only learn from playing the likes of Belgium and the Netherlands, both of whom have only narrowly overcome the Welsh in the latest round of Nations League fixtures. This surely bodes well as Wales prepare for their first World Cup since 1958. Qatar awaits in a short time.
For now, though, Qatar is on hold as Page eyes up the chance to keep his boys at the top of the European game by retaining a place in the top tier of the Nations League.
Poland will have similar aspirations though and a tough night could lie ahead.
Already missing established stars Aaron Ramsey, Joe Allen, Ben Davies and Harry Wilson through injury, the Poles must now be overcome without Chris Mepham and Ethan Ampadu who are suspended following the defeat in Brussels.
Kieffer Moore left the field in Belgium with a knock so we may see Gareth Bale – who joined the fray on 64 minutes in Brussels – start on Sunday. Cardiff City’s Mark Harris and Tyler Roberts of QPR will also be eyeing up a start up top. Ben Cabango of Swansea City could step in at the back given the absences.
Sunday’s clash gives the enthusiastic Welsh support a chance to wave ‘Hwyl Fawr’ to their heroes before they set off for Qatar. A full house looks likely as Cardiff prepares for another ‘make or break’ clash in what is becoming a golden age for the game in Wales.
Huge nights for the Welsh men’s team have been matched by tremendous progress – and encouraging gates – for Gemma Grainger’s side as the Welsh girls also look ahead to World Cup play-off excitement courtesy of their forthcoming clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina at the same venue on 6 October. The Welsh girls grabbed a vital point against Slovenia in Cardiff before a near 13,000 crowd to secure a route towards the finals in Australia/New Zealand 2023. Jess Fishlock, Sophie Ingle, Kayleigh Green and the rest of the gang will be eager to represent Wales Down Under.
ProstInternational will be there to cover both these big nights as glory awaits.
Exciting times for the ‘Red Wall’ of Wales fans!
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At the culmination of a hectic and heroic run of games, Robert Page’s Welsh history-makers have shown the world that, despite some last-gasp defeats and disappointments, they fully deserve their place at the top table of the world game.
Following promotion in the last edition of the Nations League, Wales have found themselves in League A amongst the best teams in Europe.
They line up alongside Belgium, The Netherlands, and Poland. The four group winners in League A will progress to the knockout Finals in June 2023, whilst the teams who finish fourth, in their respective sub-groups, will be relegated to League B.
Manager Robert Page rang the changes for these games, which came either side of that momentous victory over Ukraine which sent Wales to the World Cup Final for the first time since 1958.
A much-changed Wales side prepared for that World Cup play-off final with a creditable display in defeat in Poland in the first of these Nations League encounters.
Page rested his big guns such as Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey for the clash in Wroclaw but the replacements second-string applied themselves well in a goalless first half against a full-strength home side. With Ipswich Town’s Wes Burns making his Welsh debut in this tie.
Piotr Zielinski and Robert Lewandowski missed chances for Poland, while Daniel James of Leeds United was a threat for the Welsh throughout.
Jonny Williams gave the visitors an unexpected lead with a fine low strike early in the second half, before Jakub Kaminski equalised. Fellow substitute Karol Swiderski bundled in a late-winning goal from close range to deny the Welsh a deserved share of the spoils.
Wales had never beaten the Netherlands and Page further shuffled his pack for the visit of Louis Van Gaal’s side to Cardiff. The impressive Brennan Johnson featured up front for Wales. Ben Davies who had been in such fine form in repelling the Ukrainians, captained the side. Bale sat on the bench amidst speculation that he could be on the brink of an amazing move to Cardiff City.
Wales gave a good account of themselves against the Dutch Masters and, on another night, could have grabbed the lead as first-half headers from Harry Wilson and the impressive Rhys Norrington-Davies went close. Visiting €75 million, left-back Matthijs de Ligt of Juventus had a busy first half keeping tabs on Johnson.
Wales fell behind to a strike from the Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners after 50 minutes as the constant Dutch pressure took its toll.
Page introduced exciting Cardiff City prospect Rubin Colwill for the last half hour, but, despite some neat touches from the Welsh-speaking youngster, the classy visitors continued to hold the upper hand.
A late appearance from Gareth Bale lifted the crowd of 23,395 and in the dying moments Norrington-Davies headed in an unlikely equalizer before the towering Wout Weghorst of Burnley blasted in a header to bring the victory that the Dutchmen probably deserved.
The fixtures continued to come thick and fast for Wales, as former Swansea City boss Roberto Martinez returned to Wales as manager of the highly-fancied Belgian national side.
Belgium were without Romelu Lukaku for this tie as the Chelsea striker continues to struggle with an ankle injury. Wales duo Kieffer Moore and Joe Morrell were ruled out with injuries but goalkeeper Wayne Hennesey returned in goal. Bale captained the home side while Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne led the visitors.
Wales made a terrific start with a rasping drive into the net from Ethan Ampadu only for French referee Benoît Bastien to rule the effort out after a considerable delay and the consultation of VAR. Visiting goalkeeper Koen Casteels, who plays his club football for Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg was left helpless by the strike.
Arthur Theate of Bologna was prominent at left-back for the Belgians while Bale went close for the hosts in a lively and spirited opening to the game before an enthusiastic crowd of 27,188. Bale in particular was in sparkling form, with James too causing problems.
The visitors grew into the game despite the impressive form of the Welsh. A brilliant Thomas Meunier ball released Yannick Carrasco but the chance was wasted. At the other end, Connor Roberts flashed over a header and later chipped over the bar in a remarkably entertaining game. Leandro Trosard shot clumsily wide for Belgian. It had been a breathless opening 45.
Some slick play by the Belgians allowed Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans to fire the visitors ahead early in the second half.
Both managers made a series of changes with around 20 minutes as Bale and others were replaced by Colwill and others for Wales. Eden Hazard of Real Madrid joined the fray.
The second half had lacked the verve of the opening 45 but with only one goal in it, there was every chance that the plucky hosts could still ruffle the feathers of their highly-ranked visitors – second only to Brazil. James, Johnson, and most of the attending crowd did their best to make it happen.
On 86 minutes, Brennan Johnson swept home for Wales after a sparkling Ramsey pirouette, and – following a seemingly endless VAR check the goal stood. Delirious scenes around the stadium.
Wales held on to achieve a result that felt like a victory against their illustrious opponents. An emotional week had received a fitting climax.
Wales complete their current run of Nations League games with a trip to Stadium Feijenoord, Rotterdam for the return clash with the Dutch on 14 June 2022.
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Photo: Stephen Gormley (Red Eye Photo Agency)
Ireland recorded their first win in thirteen UEFA Nations League matches with an emphatic 3-0 victory at home to Scotland
Before this game, Ireland had gone ten home competitive games without a win, and had only scored two goals in a dozen winless UEFA Nations League games. This included defeats away to Armenia and at home to Ukraine in this campaign’s Group B1 earlier in June.
Under significant pressure, Ireland manager Stephen Kenny made five changes from their match with Ukraine. The 3-4-3 formation was also changed to a 3-5-2 formation. The goalkeeper and defence stayed the same, but there was now a three-man central midfield, with Knight dropping deeper in contrast to previous games.
Ireland started off on the front foot and looked very sharp with Alan Browne in midfield dictating play, taking on Andy Robertson for the full 90 minutes of the match.
In the 19th minute, McClean’s cross looked to be heading to Obafemi but McKenna just got in with the slightest of touches to take the ball off the striker’s head. However a minute later the Irish got the goal they deserved. McClean’s corner was headed back across goal from Shane Duffy and Browne reacted quickest, getting a crucial touch to bundle the ball into the Scottish net to make it 1-0.
In the 27th minute, Shane Duffy was careless playing the ball out from the back and McGinn was gifted the ball but he flashed the ball past the Irish post.
Scotland were to rue this good chance as moments later Obafemi played a clever little flick to his striking partner Troy Parrot who guided a clever header past the on-rushing Gordon to make it 2-0, sparking wild celebrations from the Irish crowd.
It was more of the same in the second half with Scotland looking tired and finding it hard to deal with the Ireland pressure.
In the 51st minute, Obafemi picked the ball up 30 yards out from goal and hit a thunderbolt of a shot past Gordon to make it 3-0 to Ireland. A very impressive first goal for his country.
In the 62nd minute, it could have been 4-0 when Hogan got up above Robertson to head the ball to the far corner of the goal. However, Hanley got back to clear the ball just before it crossed the line.
Photo: Stephen Gormley (Red Eye Photo Agency)The match ended 3-0 giving the Irish their first Nations league victory after 13 attempts thereby taking some pressure off Ireland manager Kenny who said –
“It was the most significant victory for Ireland in seven long years.”
Ireland had not beaten a higher-ranked team at home since Bosnia in 2015 in a Euros play-off match.
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Photo: Stephen Gormley (Red Eye Photo Agency)
Ukraine recovered from their painful defeat to Wales which ended their World Cup dreams with a fine 1-0 victory away to Ireland in the UEFA Nations League.
There were over 5,000 Ukraine fans in Dublin to cheer on their side, thanks to a very generous gift from the FAI of 3,000 free tickets to Ukrainians who had been displaced to Ireland due to the ongoing conflict with Russia.
Ukraine changed almost their entire starting line-up with 10 changes to the team that started against Wales in Cardiff just three days earlier.
Ireland started off brightly with central defender Shane Duffy coming close to scoring when his header was tipped on to the crossbar by goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. Ireland played a lot of nice passes during the game but too many going sideways and backwards and not enough going forward to the last third of the pitch. They just cannot buy a goal in the Nations League, having only scored twice in twelve fixtures.
Ukraine then took control of the game after the first 15 minutes of Ireland pressure. With eight minutes remaining in the first half, Taras Kacharaba’s sweet strike into the top corner of the net was ruled out by VAR for offside. That was a warning for Ireland as two minutes into the second half Viktor Tsygankov’s in-swinging free kick eluded Irish keeper Kelleher who was expecting a touch. However the ball bounced up and flew past him to make it 1-0 to Ukraine and the Irish were staring into yet another Nations League defeat.
With Shaparenko conducting proceedings from midfield and striker Artem Dovbyk stretching the home defence, you could see the confidence draining from the Irish players.
Once again the Boys in Green just could not put the ball in the net with Irish manager Stephen Kenny saying after the game
“We’re hurting at the moment and we don’t have time for that because such is the quick turn-around here. We’ve got to get ourselves ready for Scotland.”
Ukraine coach Oleksandr Petrakov said:
“Clearly this is a very difficult time when Ukrainians come to see us playing in Ireland. Our people were accepted by this incredible hospitality by the Irish people. You guys took our women and children, who were risking their lives back in Ukraine and I want to extend our gratitude to the whole of Ireland. For the Ukraine people in the stands today, all they wanted to see was just a bit of positivity from our team. But at the same time they’re really longing to go home. Go back to Ukraine and we made them a little bit happier tonight. That is the major achievement in my view.”
Scotland will be rubbing their hands together and really thinking of getting all three points on Saturday in Dublin, with a record of no wins in 12 Nations league fixtures for Ireland so far it is not looking great for Stephen Kenny and his men in green.
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]]>Northern Ireland produced a blunt and passive performance as they suffered a damning blow to their hopes of winning their Nations League group, thanks to a cultured Anastasios Bakasetas finish that ensured Gus Poyet’s Greece side left with a 1-0 win.
Ian Baraclough opted for two up top to start the game, but the hosts were unable to threaten the Greek goal despite this.
Whilst Northern Ireland started well with the Windsor Park crowd behind them, there was very little in the way of quality in the final third. After a bright opening spell, they then became passive and allowed Greece to have comfortable possession, consequently allowing Poyet’s men to grow into the game.
The Greeks were able to threaten down both flanks with the width of Konstantinos Tsimikas and Lazaros Rota from fullback, yet, clear cut chances appeared to be coming at a premium as the hosts set up a green wall to keep out their opponents.
However, it was as half-time was approaching that the deadlock was broken. A dangerous break was led by FC Twente’s Dimitrios Limnios, and the 24-year-old drew in the attention of multiple Northern Irish defenders before releasing the ball to Bakasetas. The 28-year-old recently won the Turkish Super Lig with Trabzonspor and displayed winners instinct when he slotted home past Bailey Peacock-Farrell for his sixth international strike.
The half-time team talk clearly elevated Northern Ireland, as they came out with far more intensity than they showed in the first half. Upon the half-hour mark, Baraclough called upon Kyle Lafferty, who is searching for his first goal in Northern Irish colours since 2016.
As time passed, Greece became increasingly content to sit back and absorb the pressure, as if aware of the hosts’ problems in front of goal as well as the difficulty of coming away from Windsor Park with a win. The European champions Italy found this much out as they were held to a 0-0 draw in Belfast that ultimately cost them qualification for the World Cup in the long run.
Whilst the team in green lacked no desire and intent, there was precious little in the way of final third quality to penetrate Greece’s defences. For every time Northern Ireland pressurised their visitors, Greece hit back with a dangerous counter.
However, Poyet’s side were more than happy to stagnate the game and keep hold of what they had, ultimately nullifying Northern Ireland and the Belfast crowd to come away with a vital three points.
For Northern Ireland, they will be aware of how important the Nations League may be for not only for their ranking but also for their hopes of qualifying for UEFA Euro 2024. With their home form often a major factor in Northern Irish success, losing their opening fixture at Windsor Park to a direct rival in their group is a significant blow.
They will now face tough trips to play Cyprus and Kosovo, knowing that they will likely need a minimum of four points from those games should they wish to top their group and gain promotion back to League B.
Greece, however, may not have inspired a generation like their 2004 counterparts, but a win in Belfast is not only the perfect start to their Nations League campaign but also to the reign of their new boss, former Brighton & Hove Albion and Sunderland manager Gus Poyet. They will aim to maintain a 100% record under their new manager as they travel to Pristina to take on Kosovo, who were victorious against Cyprus in Larnaca.
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]]>Due to their recent pedigree, despite being the lowest-ranked side in the group, many when predicting the Euros will perhaps feel a reticence to condemn Slovakia to group stage exit. They do have individual players of quality in the squad; Geordie cult hero Martin Dúbravka in net, Serie A title-winning centre back Milan Škriniar is an outstanding centre back on the cusp of the elite level, and record capper and goalscorer Marek Hamšík is a national hero who can still put the ball onto a sixpence from anywhere on the pitch.
However, an ageing squad, limited depth and managerial chaos have rendered Slovakia as the side most likely, in my eyes, to end the tournament with the dreaded nul points. A ballsy topic of conversation for a Brit to write about given last Saturday’s Eurovision fiasco.
Their managerial situation is of great concern going into the Euros. Ex-manager Pavel Hapal, appointed midway through an average 2018 Nations League campaign for the Slovaks, failed to capitalise on a kind Euro 2020 qualifying group- an impressive double over neighbours Hungary was undone by timid performances against Croatia and a failure to find a cutting edge in both matches against Wales.
However, with a playoff via the Nations League to fall back on, Hapal remained in post, waiting until the October first leg against the Republic of Ireland in Slovakia’s new national stadium of the rebuilt Tehelné pole in capital Bratislava. Anyone who’s seen even 5 minutes of Stephen Kenny’s Boys in Green knows how weak they are in the final third, and yet dominated a game against a Slovakia side at sixes and sevens, with only Matt Doherty, Callum Robinson and Conor Hourihane to thank after all three missed guilt-edged chances.
A penalty shootout victory for the Repre saved their skin- but the Slovak FA had seen enough, and Hapal was duly sacked just a couple of weeks before their playoff final against Northern Ireland in Belfast, a match whose significance was exemplified by Hamšík deciding to stay put in Europe and not fly back to his club in China in order to avoid Covid complications for the crunch game.
Rookie manager Štefan Tarkovič came in, assistant for their very respectable Euro 2016 campaign, came in originally as a one-off, striking gold against a Northern Ireland side whose dearth in attacking quality has become even more clear under the stewardship of Ian Baraclough. Despite a 5-minute spree at the end of the 90 minutes, Slovakia did run out as worthy winners on the night and booked their place at the tournament.
But the long-term worries of Tarkovič have already become clear, further building on the Slovaks’ mixed results in the first round of 2022 World Cup qualifiers last March. As already implied, they were lucky in coming across two playoff opponents at a particularly low ebb, and too a kind qualifying group which disguised the lack of options both in defence and attack, but the March fixtures were undoubtedly worrying.
Their crippling lack of width made sure they only left Cyprus with a point, with ageing full backs of failing to provide the zip needed from full backs Peter Pekarík and Tomáš Hubočan (combined age of 69 for these regular starters, with the latter having to come back out of international retirement) with the two inside forwards of Ondrej Duda and Albert Rusnák (the latter, as of the moment, not even in Slovakia’s 24-man squad for the Euros.
Without wishing to be too disparaging, there are few excuses for a side of Slovakia’s quality to be going 2 goals down at home to Malta, where they only salvaged a point, leaving their campaign in jeopardy after just two matchdays in a group which again has been kind to them.
An impressive 2-1 win against Russia signed off the international break in a positive manner and renewed optimism, but the long-term trends of an ageing defence and a dearth of attacking options are more clear and pressing than they have ever been. They had these exact two same problems at their last tournament appearance, Euro 2016, which was now 5 (yes, 5) years ago…
Their limited squad options could come as a blessing in disguise, much like Iceland during their successes in the late 2010s. Tarkovič has so far only called up 24 out of a possible 26 places for the Euro 2020(1) squad, following in the footsteps of fellow Group E manager Luis Enrique.
Said 24 includes just 6 defenders, including Pekarík and Hubočan- time will tell whether it will be a solid, tight-knit back four who know each other inside out (I’ll resist the Dychean ‘game geography’ term), or one whose age becomes a problem that must urgently, and yet cannot, be solved. Width, more generally, is also extremely worrying.
Now Rusnák has been axed, veteran Vladimír Weiss and Róbert Mak are the only two wingers, and both of these have had their attribute of pace shot by age and spells in weak leagues in far-flung corners of the globe and are both inside forwards. Yes, in their wealth of centre midfielders, certain individuals such as Duda or Lukáš Haraslín can operate out wide, but in a side who are seemingly wedded to a 4-3-3, it could be an Achilles’ heel.
That said, there are positives for Slovakia. Dominik Greif, the 24-year-old goalkeeper, would be a shoo-in for any other area of squad, and the Slovan Bratislava man is sure to move on to a top European league this summer, hopefully easing the pain of missing out on the final squad.
In the squad instead are Dúbravka, the likely number 1, a man rejuvenated on Tyneside, veteran Dušan Kuciak, a member of their 2010 World Cup squad (remember Róbert Vittek) and Fulham goalkeeper Marek Rodák, a man that myself and many others have felt extremely sorry for, booted on to the bench for the 2020/21 season despite being pivotal in getting Fulham to the Premier League.
There is too a wealth of options in centre midfield, arguably better than fellow sides in their group Sweden and Poland. Stan Lobotka is versatile, energetic and loves to pop up in the box in a Lampardian fashion (as his goal for Slovakia against England at Wembley in September 2017 showed), Juraj Kucka is metronomic, possesses a crisp, line-breaking pass and has a rocket strike on him (as his goal vs Wales in October 2019 showed).
Hamšík you know all about, and has moved IFK Göteborg specifically to get European game time under his belt after a dud spell in China, and Haraslín and László Bénes are on the cusp of breaking onto the hipster footballer scene. Up front, young Róbert Boženík has yet to truly come alive at Feyenoord, but plays well for Slovakia, and is a cool, if often timid, finisher in front of goal.
However, it doesn’t bode well for Slovakia overall. Two friendlies, one against Bulgaria and the other against an out-of-sorts Austria suggest a need to build up confidence before the tournament, always making one fear the worst. In the tournament, they come up against two sides in Sweden and Poland who are much more comfortable in their own skin.
They may be salvaged by these former two having to change plans for the tournament at short notice- changing of their team camp locations was necessitated by the change of Group E venue from Dublin to St. Petersburg. But Sweden and Poland are that little bit more confident and established than the Repre, and Spain, by the time of their match-up in the final group game, could be in full pomp.
Even 3 points might be enough to make it through the groups, but Slovakia look doomed to come up just short in each game, and a swift group stage exit may follow.
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]]>In most groups at a major tournament, in whatever situation, one sides usually stands out as the weakest, the side who will just fall short, or even be the group’s whipping boys. The former two of these definitely define the current public perception of Finland going into Group B at Euro 2020 this summer, perhaps even the latter to the uneducated audience.
The common narrative, much like say Northern Ireland upon qualifying for Euro 2016, was that this group of players gelled at the perfect time, reinforced by a slight boost in quality, and whose qualification was only facilitated by an extremely kind qualifying group.
One would perhaps twist this narrative even further by claiming that four defeats from 10, including defeats in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Greece, with only narrow on-paper wins over said sides on home soil, suggest a story of minnows chancing their luck.
This could not be further from the truth. Coach Markku Kanerva has had this in the works for a while now- coach of their U21s in 2009 for their only ever qualification for the final Euro U21 tournament, assistant manager for five years, before taking on the top job from 2016 onwards to finalise the development of the group of players from that golden 2009 batch. This culminated in a Euro 2020 qualifying group which was in no way a flash in the pan.
During the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, desperately unlucky results away in Iceland (conceding two goals to succumb to defeat in the final five minutes) and at home to Turkey coupled some real positives, not least in the home leg against Iceland where the 1-0 victory didn’t reflect the true dominance had in the game.
Such positives continued into their 2018 Nations League Group C campaign, guaranteeing themselves a playoff spot after winning their group with four wins from six, before deciding they wouldn’t need that safety net to complete a very successful calendar year in 2019.
Although their qualifying group undoubtedly helped- catching Bosnia and Herzegovina and Greece at particularly low ebbs at the crux of that, they were excellent value for all six of their wins, and were cruelly denied a home draw against Italy after a farcical hand ball call in the final quarter of the match.
It is the first time Finland have qualified for a major tournament, so one would be forgiven for thinking that the year-long delay to the tournament would harm the Huuhkajat by dissipating the momentum after the most successful year ever in Finnish football. However, the delay has benefitted the Finns for a plethora of reasons. The 2020 Nations League gave Kanerva a chance to develop the side tactically, diversifying their options away from a 4-4-2 that had been perennial for them between 2018 and 2019.
The newly tested 3-5-2, evidently successful given how it continued to be utilised during the round of 2022 World Cup qualifiers in March, has lessened the burden on pivotal midfielders Glen Kamara and captain Tim Sparv, meanwhile maximising the output out of their new glut of attacking full backs, especially QPR’s Niko Hämäläinen.
Marcus Forss has had an extremely promising season at Brentford, and Onni Valakari, son of Motherwell icon Simo, both scored on their international debuts away at world champions France last November, the latter with an absolute screamer.
Elsewhere, key players have jumped a level in quality during the 2020/21 domestic season, most notably Glen Kamara, their Duracell, line-breaking -with-crisp-passing midfielder who has been standout for Rangers during their record-breaking season.
Perhaps most importantly, Joel Pohjanpalo, a continual underachiever, and icon Teemu Pukki (now famous enough to replace Ice Hockey icons in advertising domestic rye bread brands) have both hit top form after patchy goalscoring records during the 2019/20 season (made more urgent by the fitness concerns of the latter).
Crucially, all of this promise has manifested itself in all of Finland’s fixtures in the ‘Covid era’. Four comfortable wins over the Republic of Ireland and Bulgaria exemplified this, and they were perhaps unfortunate to be turned over by Wales in Helsinki in their Nations League opener. And, best of all, this Finland side claimed their first ever big scalp, with an outstanding 2-0 friendly win over the world champions in Paris with a semi-rotated side.
The result was in no way a smash-and-grab, and it should give them confidence that they can get a result out of the final game against Belgium, who could put out a second string after wrapping up top spot with two wins in their opener. As for Finland’s opener against Denmark, though the Danes are rightfully considered as the tournament’s dark horses, Finland will relish being the underdogs against their Nordic rivals.
Russia will be the match they look to get three points from- and given the history between the two nations- the Huuhkajat would love nothing more than spoiling the party on St. Petersburg soil, a city with such historical significance in the Finnish Winter War of 1940. The narrative is set.
Anyone expecting a Nul Points and no goals showing may need to think again. But they’ve got all of spirit, quality and efficiency, which is, as the last few tournaments have shown, the crucial formula for a good showing.
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