We were naive - we should really have stopped the first goal, admits Brady
THE lingering sense from the Ireland players was that this was a thumping they could have avoided – even if defeat seemed inevitable the minute Belgium clicked into gear and took control from the first whistle.
‘We came into the game with a lot of hope. It hurts as footballers when you get beat 3-0. You can do better. There is no one in that changing room who can say that they done well,’ Seamus Coleman admitted.
Belgium seized the initiative early while Ireland stuttered and looked nervous. As Martin O’Neill’s squad filtered out of the dressing room it was left to a select few to explain why things went so badly wrong at the Stade de Bordeaux.
James McCarthy and Ciaran Clark kept their heads down and preferred to keep their counsel as they made a beeline for the team coach following an afternoon to forget for the beleaguered pair. Both appeared to be doing their level best to play themselves out of contention for the pivotal final Group E game with Italy in four days’ time.
Only a victory will do and you would not be confident with that duo in the spine of the starting XI. The Ireland manager must now take serious consideration to freshening things up for must-win game against the Azzurri. Antonio Conte certainly, will with the Italian manager set to change his entire team for Wednesday evening’s game in Lille.
McCarthy, who was already booked in the first game against Sweden so at risk of suspension with a further caution, opted against committing a measured professional foul for the good of the team and allowed Kevin De Bruyne skip by him on the left touchline as Belgium counterattacked from an Ireland corner.
Seconds later Romelu Lukaku was celebrating the opening goal and from the 48th minute on Ireland knew the jig was up. McCarthy’s day got even worse as he stood square to a cross floated into the box and switched off to allow Axel Witsel peel off the back of him for the Red Devils’ second just after the hour mark.
That brought an end to his day, O’Neill hooked him straight away, but Clark’s got worse when a rush of blood to the head allowed Eden Hazard make him look like a Sunday league defender on the same touchline as De Bruyne was given a free pass by McCarthy.
‘They showed their class in the final third and managed to score three goals. It was disappointing on our behalf, maybe it was a bit naïve to concede the goals the way we did,’ Robbie Brady said. ‘The disappointment is fresh in the mind now but we have to pick ourselves up.
‘I just think we have to be more relentless or cleverer in our defending to make sure we don’t concede silly goals and then obviously do our part with our attacking play when we do get the ball.
‘I don’t think it was a reality check. I think we knew what was going on. We knew what they were capable of. I think we were a little bit naïve in the way we conceded the goals.
‘It’s more, not errors but maybe not being clever enough on our part then great goals from them. Obviously good goals and good finishes but it could have been stopped. We’ll look at that and make sure it doesn’t happen again.’
The damage has already been done and Stephen Ward was also left ruing Ireland’s inability to make Belgium really work for what turned out to be a comfortably-collected three points by the final whistle.
‘We’re disappointed we didn’t make it a bit harder for them,’ the Burnley left back explained. ‘At half time, we felt we were right in the game, the first goal was a bit disappointing because we were on the attack, from there it’s difficult – they have some outstanding, world class players. So it’s disappointing in the manner we conceded the goals.’
It was clear in the aftermath that a 0-0 was Ireland’s priority but failing to achieve that result has set up the daunting prospect of having to beat Italy to have any chance of reaching the knockout stages.
‘It’s definitely still there for us,’ Brady insisted. ‘If we didn’t touch the ball for the second half but kept a clean sheet it would have been a great result for us, even if we didn’t get on the ball and play. I think second half it opened up and we had more of the ball but Belgium were able to punish us.
‘We’ve got a massive game against Italy now and we need to show our worth in this tournament. We’ve got to re-group because we’ve got a cup final against Italy now and hopefully we can show our worth.’
No one in an Ireland jersey did so yesterday.