Eriksen is kept quiet when it matters most

CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN was a little sneering in his pre-match assertion that Republic of Ireland would come to spoil this contest. The suggestion seemed to be that, such is his own fine form, his artistry would trump the ugly visitors. He was wrong.

The Spurs playmaker failed to show. Or rather, Ireland did not allow him to dictate in the manner he had perhaps imagined.

Eriksen has been tremendous at club level of late. But Real Madrid — against whom he scored in that 3-1 victory — would appear an easier proposition than Martin O’Neill’s belligerent Irish and Denmark’s star player had no answer to their resistance.

His frustration got the better of him when taking a hopeful aim from 25 yards in the first half. Ireland can do that to the game’s best players, just ask Wales’ Gareth Bale, shackled in Dublin in March.

Ireland assistant boss Roy Keane had urged his players to get physical with Eriksen and that they did. There was no way Eriksen was going to accept his share of a 50-50 challenge with James McClean just before half time and the Ireland man duly thundered through ball and man. We did not see much of Eriksen thereafter.

His most telling contribution was a fizzing strike which was paddled clear by Darren Randolph and Pione Sisto followed up to fire inches wide.

But there were no cute reverse passes, no moments of individual inspiration, as has become the norm in the white of Spurs. He was, for the bulk of the second half, anonymous. Come the end he was reduced to defensive duties as Ireland grew in strength.

Denmark need their talisman to do his talking on the pitch in the second leg.