Mcclean’s strike unable to get Kenny off the mark
Republic boss’s wait for first victory extended further after Qatar hit back
THIS was a strange end to a window to forget for Stephen Kenny as a performance with more punch still failed to deliver a decisive blow to end his winless run.
If Saturday’s shocker against Luxembourg was slow and predictable, this friendly was both frantic and erratic for an hour, and could have swung in either direction before trickling away towards a draw, although sub Josh Cullen did squander a glorious injury-time opportunity to put a gloss on the gathering.
Qatar, the Asian Cup champions, aren’t a bad side so there’s nothing especially wrong with this result in isolation. The overall situation for Kenny demanded a response and while his players showed bundles of desire, it’s clear that this Irish group remain a work in progress and it’s unlikely that many opinions will have been changed by this.
After the lethargy of Saturday, this was a different animal of a game from the outset, with an energy about it that hinted that both sides were taking it pretty seriously for their own reasons.
Qatar named an experienced team as they continue their long road to World Cup hosting, while there were two interesting aspects to Kenny’s squad selection.
There was a bang of out with the new and in with the old in the sense that Shane Duffy, Jeff Hendrick, James Mcclean and Robbie Brady came in to give his side a more familiar look. However, he retained the three at the back formation with a difference.
The 3-5-2 (or 3-4-1-2 as the manager described it) became more of a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-3 depending on the situation with Shane Long as a lone central striker flanked on either side by Daryl Horgan and Brady.
It was effective in the early stages and gave the Republic a superior attacking threat to what was evident on Saturday, with Long’s pace an outlet.
Qatar weren’t expecting that and they certainly weren’t prepared for the lead goal, a short corner that looked to be the first significant contribution for new coach Anthony Barry judging by the celebrations in the aftermath.
Barry, the replacement for Damien Duff, has been hailed for his set-piece work at Chelsea and there was a fresh feel to this goal from an Irish perspective.
Horgan instigated a quick onetwo and then laid the ball on a plate for James Mcclean — in at left wingback for Enda Stevens — who found the back of the net with the help of a generous deflection.
This was a lead that Kenny’s men would take to the break but there was a loose feel to this fixture that could have spun the script in a variety of other directions.
Teenage goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu got himself involved, showcasing his preference for advancing from between the sticks whenever the opportunity presented itself and he just about stayed on the right side of the law. He narrowly avoided disaster from the restart when a rash foul outside the box on Portuguese born Ro-ro resulted in the local referee pointing to the spot but help from his officials corrected the decision.
Later in the half, the Manchester City employee used his athleticism to avoid a handball outside the box when his body was bringing him that way. It was entertaining, if occasionally heart-stopping.
Another errant pass relied on a strong intervention from Duffy at the centre of the back three with the Derryman active on his first game since February 14. It was that kind of encounter.
Qatar served warnings prior to the interval and levelled just after it, advancing with purpose as Mohammed Muntari, a striker born in Ghana, shot into the bottom corner.
The execution was good, yet he was provided with the opportunity and a feature of this period was Qatar attackers dropping a bit deeper to find space in a growing gap between the Irish defence and midfield. It was a risky business at times, even though there were strong spells where the Irish were on the offensive and their final ball was poor. Kenny withdrew Long and Horgan, sending in Callum Robinson and Jason Knight and pushing Troy Parrott forward.
Energy levels were dropping and it was scattered fare thereafter, although the fact that Qatar waited until 10 minutes from the end to make a change suggested they were placing a lot of importance on this encounter.
Yet a final flourish could have yielded a winner with right wingback Cyrus Christie sending in a superb cross that sub Cullen should have dispatched but his header was pushed away.
QATAR: Al Sheeb, Al Rawi, Khoukhi, Salman, Carvalho Deus Correia, Al Haydos, Boudiaf, Mohammed (Al Ahrak 82), Hassan Fadlalla, Muntari (Abdurisag Yusuf 90), Zainalabiddin Abdulla.
Subs not used: Jadoua Al Bayati, Al Aaeldin Abdelmotaal, Fathy Abdoulla, Al Khader Jibril, Al Hajri, M Ahmed, Al Hamawende, Abunad, Hassan, Madibo.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Bazunu, O’shea, Duffy, Molumby (Cullen 84), Christie, Coleman, Hendrick (Browne 84), Mcclean (Manning 84), Horgan (Knight 57), Long (Robinson 57), Brady (Parrott 22).
Subs not used: Clark, Collins, Curtis, Lenihan, O’hara, Travers.
Referee: Balazs Berke (Hungary)
Man of the match: James Mcclean
Match rating: 6/10