Advertisement

Lacklustre Ireland lose to Wales to pile pressure on O'Neill

Ireland succumbed to a 0-1 defeat to Wales after a Harry Wilson free kick, to put pressure on Rep...
Newstalk
Newstalk

21.52 16 Oct 2018


Share this article


Lacklustre Ireland lose to Wal...

Lacklustre Ireland lose to Wales to pile pressure on O'Neill

Newstalk
Newstalk

21.52 16 Oct 2018


Share this article


Ireland succumbed to a 0-1 defeat to Wales after a Harry Wilson free kick, to put pressure on Republic manager Martin O'Neill.

The result leaves Ireland on the verge of relegation to the third tier of the UEFA Nations League that featured neither Gareth Bale or Aaron Ramsey.

In truth, Ireland were lucky to escape by just a one goal deficit after a poor performance. Spirited maybe, but Irish players struggled to show any initiative or relationship with each other in a 3-5-2 formation that mirrored the setup against Denmark on Saturday.

Advertisement

Callum Robinson was possibly Ireland's liveliest player, before being substituted by O'Neill. Aidan O'Brien struggled to make an impact, before being brought off for Shane Long.

Wales, meanwhile, were not much better - and the difference was Harry Wilson's free kick after Harry Arter's foul on Connor Roberts.

Wilson struck the ball superbly, to leave Darren Randolph stranded in the Ireland net.

Ireland attempted to salvage something by putting on Scott Hogan and Sean Maguire to support Long, but the reality was that this was a last-ditch attempt to salvage something with no semblance of a plan.

It remains to be seen whether Roy Keane and Martin O'Neill will be under significant pressure following a disappointing period both on and off the pitch.

Subscribe to Off The Ball's YouTube channel for more videos like this, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.


Share this article


Most Popular