Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ANOTHER BITTER NIL FOR KENNY
Even Stephen must be wondering now
Robbie Brady came closest for Ireland last night
ROBBIE BRADY smashed the crossbar, James Collins and Jason Knight thought they had scored and Ronan Curtis really ought to have. Sounds thrilling! Really it wasn’t.
Isolated moments that might have momentarily jolted the sleepy sofa viewers as they channel hopped at home in a dreadful game played in fitting conditions.
Ferocious winds ripped through an otherwise eerily quiet Aviva Stadium as Ireland’s horror show in front of goal continued for a seventh game – or 11 hours to simplify it.
So too does Stephen
Kenny’s wait for a first win as senior boss. This was his eighth game in charge, but this patched up side could only pick up from where the other patched up sides left off.
Despite those chances, Ireland were for tunat e to draw as B u l g a r i a h a d tw o g l o r i o u s opportunities to score and only squandered them because centre-back Kristian Dimitrov applied a centre-back’s finish both times.
But the draw at least preserved Ireland’s status in the Nations League second tier, with Bulgaria relegated to the third. But the more significant objective of securing second seed status for the World Cup draw slipped through Ireland’s grasp.
Ireland had to win here and hope Northern Ireland beat Romania (they drew) and that Serbia scalped Russia (which they did, comfortably). Third seeds it is.
With only one team qualifying automatically from the group, and the next best going into a convoluted playoff, Ireland’s path to Qatar 2022 has been made all the more challenging.
The reasons for Irel and’s struggles this month and last have been well documented, but the hard facts lie in the results and the only crumb of comfort
ESCAPE Shane Duffy blocks Kristian Dimitrov’s shot at goal
that Kenny will cling to over a long winter is that he might get to field a preferred first XI in March.
Few will be sad to see the back of international football for the next four months.
That’s safe to say.
It’s been a grind with the triple headers doing more harm than good.
Ryan Manning was handed a debut here at left-back and Jason Knight a first start in midfield, but only Darren Randolph, Duffy and Conor Hourihane would be considered guaranteed starters had Kenny a full complement to pick from.
And Ireland certainly played like a team thrown together. The opening half was laced with too many risky balls out of defence, the midfield leaked like a sieve and there was no cohesion in attack.
By the break, the home side were fortunate to be on level terms.
Galin Ivanov would have been through on Randolph at close range but for a diabolical touch in the box, and the visitors squandered another glorious chance soon after when Dimitrov headed over.
They were real let-offs for Ireland.
Ja me s C o l li n s’s b o t c h e d header from a couple of yards out – after tremendous trickery and inch perfect crossing from Daryl Horgan (inset) – summed up I r e l a n d ’s flat-footed frustrations at the break as gales howled through the rafters of the stadium.
Collins went close again early in the second-half but his first time f lick onto Dara O’shea’s cross flashed a yard wide of the post. And Ronan Curtis wanted the ground to open up and swallow him when ballooning a Knight ball over.
Bulgaria hadn’t gone away though and should have snatched a lead moments later but Dimitrov’s six-yard effort at the back post def lected off Shane Duffy while Robbie Brady smashed the crossbar at the other end and Knight was inches away from turning home a deflected cross.
The Ireland players sank to their knees on the final whistle with one shouting “for f**** sake” in frustration.
Ireland’s international window was summed up in that moment, with focus now shifting to the World Cup qualifying draw next month.
Kenny’s reign can’t be judged until he has his preferred team out in a consistent manner over a campaign.
But that search for an elusive first win rumbles on and with the scrutiny intensifying game by game, the task ahead only gets harder and more pressurised.