‘Win or bust’ battle in Dublin tonight
Danes expect Ireland to play a more open game
DUBLIN: Ireland face Denmark in a win-orbust match in the second leg of their World Cup play-off tonight after a scoreless draw in Copenhagen on Saturday.
Denmark will look to clinch a place in their first major tournament since 2012, while Ireland, featuring in their ninth playoff for a major event, last played at a World Cup in 2002.
“It’s all to play for now,” Ireland manager Martin O’Neill said after the first leg.
“We have to win a game and we might have to score a couple of goals, because I think Denmark will score.”
Ireland goalkeeper Darren Randolph was forced to make two good saves in the first half on Saturday while Denmark playmaker Christian Eriksen was kept quiet.
“Darren Randolph is a very fine goalkeeper,” O’Neill said.
“I thought he made an excellent save, and the one he tipped over the bar. I think that’s the way he has played for us in this campaign.”
Randolph said his side will take the initiative in tonight’s game.
“We’ll be at home — it’s win or bust. We’re the home team so we’ll obviously have to get the result,” the goalkeeper said.
“Win on Tuesday, we go to Russia, it’s as simple as that.”
The match will go to penalties if it is another 0-0 draw and Randolph said he would want to take a penalty if it came to it tonight.
Eriksen scored eight goals in qualifying and has been one of the standout playmakers in Europe in recent seasons at English club Tottenham.
However, he was well-marshalled by Ireland’s midfield and cut a frustrated figure at times.
Denmark coach Age Hareide said: “They’re strong on set-pieces, long throws, corners, free-kicks. They kick the ball into the box — it’s difficult to handle, and they are good at that.”
Hareide said his team could score an crucial away goal in Dublin.
“A goal away will be be vital for us. A goal away and they have to score two, and they don’t score two many times,” he said.
Denmark’s Nicklas Bendtner said he expected tonight’s match to be more open.
He warned Ireland they have to do more than “just kick the ball away and hope to hit a player” and “defend with their lives” if they hope to make it to Russia, Britain’s newspaper The Independent reported.
The former Arsenal player put a bit of pressure on Ireland, by speaking about how the away-goal rule now gives the Danes a slight advantage, since any score draw will send them through to Russia 2018.
“They know they have to come out and try to score. They can’t play a game of that importance for zero-zero. So I think it’s going to be a little bit more open,” he told the newspaper.
“The goal for us was to win the match, 100 per cent. We’re prepared to play 120 minutes if that’s what it takes.”
FIXTURE
At Dublin: Ireland v Denmark (2.15am, Wed) first leg 0-0