The Swiss team claimed a well-deserved victory over the Republic of Ireland, owing to a goal scored by Xherdan Shaqiri halfway into the first round. The Irish side, although limited, could not be discredited for their undying zeal to turn the tide. This match might be remembered years later as the debut game for Finn Azaz, who chose his Irish lineage over his Israeli descent. Azaz made a late entry into the game and almost managed to even the score as the old Lansdowne footrush was staged.
In a peculiar turn of events, Roberto Di Matteo was declared ineligible for the position of Ireland’s coach by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) just before the halftime. The Champions League victor and former Chelsea manager was seen in the president’s box during the game, alongside Jonathan Hill. It is unlikely that Di Matteo would break his contract with South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to permanently reside at the Castleknock Hotel.
The subdued atmosphere in the stadium prior to the game encapsulated the general sentiment around Irish football. However, a ripple of applause went through the audience of 35,742 people as Séamus Coleman’s team arrived on the pitch. Coleman was announced as the game’s best player.
Recently, The Irish Independent raised questions about Hill’s future as the CEO of FAI following his problematic testimony before the Public Accounts Committee at Leinster House last month. Hill denies asking for cash in lieu of holidays in 2022, but an email from the CEO seems to contradict his statement to the committee. It seems there are troubling times both on and off the football field.
The Irish team’s formation, set by John O’Shea, remained the same as during the goalless draw against Belgium. In the absence of Chiedozie Ogbene due to an injury, Mikey Johnston started on the left and Sammie Szmodics moved to the right to assist Evan Ferguson. Gavin Bazunu replaced Caoimhín Kelleher as the goalie while Jason Knight was selected over Will Smallbone. Despite this determined display by the Irish side, the game’s outcome was a gloomy reflection of the state of affairs.
The disparity in technical skills between the Swiss and the Irish squads was made glaringly apparent by the refined play of Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka, who dominated a game that the Irish can only aspire to. Szmodics almost managed to set up Coleman for a goal, which was ultimately called offside. Nevertheless, it was a left-footed free-kick from Shaqiri, now with Chicago Fire, that took the game’s honours, thwarting Bazunu and securing a position in the corner of Ireland’s net.
This occurred when Dara O’Shea chose to fell Zeki Amdouni before the Bologna player could breach the box. Johnston threatened from the left but his final delivery contributed little to Ireland’s chance of recovering the game. Robbie Brady took his turn, sending a free-kick across the field, which O’Shea continued toward the goal but did not muster enough force from Andrew Omobamidele’s header to unsettle Yvon Mvogo.
Xhaka withdrew at the interval, but not before hitting Bazunu’s post, reminding Ireland of the Bayer Leverkusen star’s capabilities. Despite the scoreline merely 1-0, O’Shea decided to stick with his original line-up. However, by the 57th minute, he decided a change was needed and drafted in Will Smallbone, Adam Idah and Matt Doherty.
Unfortunately, Idah’s overhead kick, laid up by Doherty from another Brady delivery, failed to find the net, as did a subsequent opportunity. Both attempts flew high and wide. O’Shea, Ireland and the occasion itself were in desperate need of a spectacle, but it was to no avail. Switzerland, preparing for a tougher challenge in the forthcoming Euros against Scotland, Hungary and host country Germany, had Ireland well handled.
There’s also news that Willy Sagnol’s Georgia squad are packing their bags for the Euros, having defeated Gus Poyet’s Greece team in a penalty showdown on Tuesday. Whisperings suggest the consolation for the runners-up is a shot at managing Ireland. Speculation, refutations and still yet to see a goal from Evan Ferguson.
The football match featured players from Ireland and Switzerland. Representing Ireland were Bazunu, Omobamidele who was replaced by Doherty at the 57th minute, Collins and O’Shea. Other players included Coleman, Cullen who left the match at the 87th minute for Azaz, and Knight who was replaced with Smallbone during the 57th minute, in addition to a later substitution of Brady for O’Dowda during the 79th minute. Midfielder Szmodics was substituted by Sykes in the 79th minute, while upfront were Ferguson and Johnston, replaced by Idah at the 57th-minute mark.
Switzerland’s lineup featured Mvogo, Elevdi. Schär, who later yielded to Omeragic in the 79th minute, along with Widmer in the lineup. In midfield were Cömert, Shaqiri, who got substituted by Okafor in the 75th minute, as well as Xhaka, replaced by Freuler mid-game, Aebischer, and Sierro, substituted by Zakaria in the 65th minute. The front players were Ndoye, who was replaced by Kutesa in the 65th minute, and Amdouni. The referee was Pawel Raczkowski from Poland.