Stylish Danes break Irish hearts
DUBLIN: Denmark go to next year’s World Cup with one of the world’s top 10 players in Christian Eriksen, coach Age Hareide said on Tuesday, after the Tottenham playmaker grabbed a hat-trick in the 5-1 thrashing of Ireland.
Denmark booked their ticket to Russia in style in the second leg in Dublin, running away with a tie that was in the balance after a goalless first game in Copenhagen.
“All the teams who go to the World Cup have star players and players who can make the difference and Christian showed that today,” Hareide said.
“He’s absolutely in the top 10 [players in the world]. We saw it against Real Madrid, he’s probably one of the best players in his position in Europe at the moment.
“He has this capability of scoring goals, making assists and finding space.”
Asked how far his free-flowing team could go at next year’s tournament, Hareide said it would depend on the draw but added that the side wanted to improve and play good football.
For Ireland, it was a very different story. Solid and organised four days ago, and leading early on Tuesday, they completely capitulated, leaving manager Martin O’Neill to face difficult questions over his tactics, half-time changes and whether the occasion got to his players.
“I’m naturally disappointed because a couple of nights ago in Copenhagen we had fought very, very strongly,” O’Neill, who cut short an interview with national broadcaster RTE, told a news conference.
O’Neill said he still intended to sign a new two-year contract agreed in principle with the Football Association of Ireland and would guide the team in their bid to reach Euro 2020.
“We’ve lost a play-off game and we’ll come back again,” O’Neill promised.
“This is hard work and we’ve only been beaten four times in 24 competitive matches since I came in,” added the manager.
O’Neill received plenty of flak of leaving Wes Hoolahan out in order to put the returning David Meyler back into a midfield diamond formation which played to the strengths of Eriksen.
“We were well beaten in the end. Although we got off to a great start by scoring first, a second goal for us might have made a difference,” said O’Neill, who lamented the poor defending that enabled Denmark to take control of the second leg.
“We gave away two sloppy goals in the space of a few minutes and it was a long way back after that,” said O’Neill.
“For their first goal, Harry [Arter] got beaten but we still be able to clear the ball and the second goal is just a comedy of mistakes.
“The whole mindset changes because six or seven minutes earlier, we could have been two goals up.”