Republic of Ireland 0-2 England (UEFA Nations League Group Stages)
I’ve had about three hours sleep. I got back from Cardiff at 1am and I’m on the road at 5am to East Midlands Airport for my flight to Dublin, it’s going to be a long day as I plan heading home early Sunday morning so literally a flying 23 hour stop, but one which I’m hoping to at least enjoy. If my eyes can stay open.
I’ve got a hire car and have landed at Dublin Airport for just gone 8am, a bit of research for a morning stroll has me heading to Howth, which Wikipedia describes is ‘an affluent peninsular which forms the Northern boundary of Dublin Bay.
The idea is a quiet stroll down the sea front and perhaps a morning coffee, but trust me to pick a weekend when there’s a festival on, they’re setting up Howth Maritime & Seafood Festival which has me struggling to find somewhere to park, it’s full of tourists here, Americans and backpacking groups are everywhere, I don’t spend too long in town before driving up to ‘the summit’ which seems equally as busy for walkers.
Not having much luck I decide to drive in to Dublin, the game kicks off at 5pm today and I need to be ‘on site’ for 3pm so I’ve a couple of hours to spare, spent walking around the luscious Grand Canal Quay bathed in scorching sunlight, I take a walk down to Ringsend Park where I notice a couple of amateur games going on, one I’m not sure if it’s Gaelic football as the pitch it’s played on has rugby like posts for nets in with goals behind it, the Goalkeeper looks to be wearing a full Boca Juniors kit, socks rolled down whilst the opponents centre half has his shorts rolled up and tucked into his Y fronts, it looks like he’s wearing hot pants as I kick back a stray ball towards the pitch which I’m thanked for by the right back, the game is played at a canter, slow and not serious, no lines-people and a Referee who I presume is a volunteer in a plain grey t-shirt and black shorts & socks, he's hardly moved outside the centre circle.
Not too far away on a 3g pitch, there’s a much more serious looking match going on, whilst the one I’m standing on has a few bikes and bags opposite touchline, this one behind the cage has a crowd of people, a referee, both teams even have subs and coaches. A proper game perhaps?
I head over as I hear a cheer for a goal and I like the full thrust mentality as a player is booked for sizing down someone in half, no complaints from anyone about that one, even I give a grimace to the challenge.
I don’t stay long, enough to whet my appetite ahead of this afternoon’s big match, England v Ireland, or Ireland v Ireland as it’s being billed by some of my Irish descendent friends in my WhatsApp group.
Declan Rice, Jack Grealish, now Lee Carsley, have all swapped the Emerald for St George which is pay back for Big Jack, John Aldridge and Jason McAteer, these people have such short memories.
I’m walking down the Fitzwilliam Quay besides the River Dodder, casting eyes on the magnificent Aviva Stadium reflecting in the water which glistens in the sun, London Bridge is being patrolled by Garda as a police bike and siren appears for the first of two buses.
The Venue
I’m on the corner of Landsdowne Road as a small crowd gathers to wave in the Ireland coach, a fully logoed number that gets a huge cheer as it passes into the stadium. Some of that crowd stays for the next bus, which I’m expecting will be the ‘England’ emblazoned number with three lions crest, but no, as it’s being ushered in by security it becomes clear that it’s not the usual six star transport treatment but instead, a Collins Coach that looks like it has a load of tourists on it, as the jeers ring pleasantly low, I’m laughing out loud after giving it the big expectation of glamour.
Outside the venue is fabulous, bowl shaped and almost spaceship like, the stadium is a real fine piece of football architecture, opened in 2010 it seats over 50,000 and gives the city of Dublin, along with Croke Park which is used mainly for Gaelic games, a real world class sporting venue to be proud of.
I’m waiting for the Venue Manager to meet me outside of the gates, down the tunnel where the players buses have already passed, he’s walking me to his office so I can pick up some accreditation as a member of the England coaching staff pops his head in the door “Cars asked me to ask is there anywhere he can get a cup of tea”
After stating he won’t be singing the National Anthem ahead of the game, former Republic of Ireland International Lee Carsley has received a bit of bad press in England ahead of his first game in charge for perhaps sounding un-patriotic, but knowing he’s a tea drinker soon quashes that for me. I tell of the dying art of footballers drinking tea, gone are the days of the big tea urn in changing rooms, replaced for energy drink bottles and gel pouches, it’s refreshing to know that at least the old guard still enjoy a brew.
With that in mind, I’m taken up in the lift and directed to my seat, which I struggle to find is next to UEFA’s stats guy and but one to Irish TV channel RTE where Ronnie Whelan stands with Darragh Maloney and two seats from ITV where Sam Matterface and Andros Townsend are looking awfully trendy.
The view is impeccable, but high, you feel a long way from the action and a long way up, seats of green under the glowing sun, to the left the stadium drops down where three thousand England fans, flags and all, are housed, ready for the game to begin.
The Game
There’s a mighty roar every time an Ireland player name is read out, there’s an even mightier boo when names of Declan Rice and Jack Grealish are announced. Rice, three caps for Ireland, switched allegiance to his homeland which has hardly gone down well in these parts, Grealish who was an Irish youth international, was snapped up early by England, but although both have heritage, both were born in England, the cockney accent of Rice and Brummie twang of Grealish tell you where their bread is buttered, but they’ll take their deserved stick on the chin, and it seems they’ll do it in the most positive way possible.
Both players start well, Grealish in particular looks to be enjoying playing pantomime villain to the echoes of boos, and England under Carsley, are crisp, one and two touch, dominant and definitive, Ireland sit off, give too much respect perhaps, but they do have an early chance headed wide by Molumby to raise the decibels in the stadium.
Those decibels are downed however as Anthony Gordon looks to get away played in fantastically by Trent Alexander Arnold, Gordon is one on one and should score, but for a good save low by Kelleher, Gordon picking up the rebound out wide however and pulling it back to Rice, not him, who smashes home with curve into the corner.
It had to be… But it got even worse for Ireland… England are superior in all departments and the first half is men against boys, a lovely passing move between Rice and Mainoo ends with Grealish placing home, Republic of Ireland 0 Former Republic of Ireland Internationals 2…
The Score
In effect, those goals quashed the boo boys, many of them heading off to get an early half time drink, England fabulous and refreshing, playing a brand of ‘attacking’ football which they avoided during the recent Euros, despite reaching the final.
The Second half is no way near as entertaining, England now inviting Ireland on, but they simply don’t have the tools, Ogbene is lively, and the best player in green by far, whilst Szmodics threatens with a curling effort a whisker wide, the visitors offer two new debutants their first full caps, best mates Angel Gomes and Morgan Gibbs-White are proof of a working conveyor belt of young England stars coming through the system, both lively in their few minutes, Gomes tiny in midfield but so competent on the ball, Gibbs-White a player I really like with some gentle touches in the ten role, before sending Saka on his way, the Arsenal winger cutting in from the left, a shot which stings the palms of Kelleher and is headed over on the rebound by Eze.
The perfect away for England, it’s been an impressive game won in the first half, which allowed some changes in the second, a clean sheet and impressively, goals each for England’s former Irish representatives.
The Stars
Jack Grealish in the number ten position was the pick of the players for me, often picking the ball up deep in the third, running with the ball and drawing fouls in, he was brilliant, as was Rice who just put a typical and now guaranteed workmanlike shift in but with the added quality of a goal and an assist, Kobbie Mainoo whilst not playing spectacularly, was sensationally simple, in what he does, he always does well, and it’s alarming to think he’s not yet left his teens.
Anthony Gordon was another player, direct with blitzing pace, who always caused a threat, whilst Trent Alexander-Arnold’s passing game was hit and miss, when it was good, it was very good.
Special mention to the centre back pairing of Marc Guehi and Harry Maguire who I think complemented each other really well. Sir Harry, is like a duck to water when playing for England, whilst Guehi is a centre back destined for the very top, a Rolls Royce of a footballer, elegant and composed no matter the situation.
For Ireland, they had it tough, but Ogbene was their star, and in fairness he was one of the main stars on the pitch, an Ipswich Town player who has gone under my radar before, but is now well and truly on it.
The Verdict
It was a game England should have won, comfortably, and they did, but it also could have been a huge banana skin for their new coach Lee Carsley, it’s undoubtedly the toughest game on paper of their UEFA Nations League group so they should be gunning back for trouble free promotion ahead of Finland and Greece.
Ireland have a chance to play for second best, but I’m not totally convinced by their new Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson’s tactics against England, he allowed them to play, and dictate, when their best chance at home would have been to press and harass with the fans on their side, but they’ll be tested more to their level against Greece on Tuesday, and I’ll be back in Dublin to watch it.
The Teams
Republic of Ireland: Caoimhin Kelleher, Seamus Coleman (Jake O’Brien 57), Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea, Robbie Brady (Evan Ferguson 82), Matt Doherty (Jason Knight 57), Jason Molumby, Will Smallbone (Alan Browne 75), Sammy Szmodics, Chiedoze Ogbene, Adam Idah (Kasey McAteer 75).
England: Jordan Pickford, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire (John Stones 84), Marc Guehi, Levi Colwill, Kobbie Mainoo (Angel Gomes 77), Declan Rice, Jack Grealish (Morgan Gibbs-White 77), Harry Kane (Jarrod Bowen 84), Anthony Gordon (Eberechi Eze 77).
5:00pm Kick Off. Saturday 7th September 2024, Aviva Stadium, Dublin (att: 50,359).
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