O’neill looks to regroup for the Euros

Martin O’neill saw the Republic of Ireland scrap their way to just their second Nations League point as they ground out a draw.

Ireland, who were second best in their friendly stalemate against Northern Ireland on Thursday evening, were resilient in Aarhus as they held the Danes, who had already secured promotion to League A, to a goalless draw for the third time in four attempts in a little more than a year. However, they needed the help of the woodwork on a night on which they failed to muster a single attempt on target.

They have now not scored in 397 minutes of football, while their nine games in 2018 have yielded just a single victory.

O’neill, who handed Southampton’s 18-year-old Michael Obafemi a debut as a second-half substitute, will take positives from a gritty display, but will once again face questions over his team’s lack of ambition, something which will have to change radically if they are to mount a credible bid for Euro 2020 qualification.

Ireland captain Seamus Coleman said: “The lads have a point to prove and we kept a clean sheet again,” he said. “It’s been a pretty grim year but we have got to look forward to March, when we can start afresh for the Euros.”

Coach O’neill added: “We were very strong defensively, as we probably had to be. Overall, in terms of creativity, maybe not completely there, but I thought the commitment was absolutely excellent.”