REP IRELAND
JAMES McCLEAN tore up the Welsh script in Cardiff last night.
The West Brom winger turned this momentous World Cup clash on its head with a superbly taken 57th-minute goal.
Jeff Hendrick caused all sorts of problems for the home defence with a well-driven ball across the face of goal and Wales were suddenly all over the place.
Harry Arter furthered the confusion with a brilliant dummy and there was McClean to ram the ball home.
Wales were already without golden boy Gareth Bale, who was left nervously chewing his nails in the stand after being ruled out of this game with a calf injury.
Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill highlighted Bale’s absence as big a miss as Argentina without Lionel Messi but was quick to point out that his side were without Seamus Coleman. And that was before striker Shane Long was ruled out on the morning of the game with a hip injury.
Everton defender Coleman is recovering from the double leg fracture sustained after Neil Taylor’s horror tackle when these two sides met back in March.
But Wales manager Chris Coleman’s meticulous planning could not have taken into account losing inspirational midfielder Joe Allen so early on.
Both bosses had been at pains to point out that they were not expecting any fall-out from that physical goalless clash in Dublin.
But the atmosphere in the 33,000-seater stadium was guaranteed to be electric and the chances of that crackling out on to the pitch must have been something the managers warned their men about just before stepping out.
And they seemed to have heeded the instruction until midway through the first half when the game started to take on a darker hue. Ironically, it could be argued that Allen started all that. He was booked for clattering into Harry Arter, with the visitors incensed and Wales furious at another yellow card on their record.
But his running battle with Chris Gunter was starting to get to the Wales man and then came Allen’s departure. It was David Meyler’s collision with the midfielder that sent Allen to the floor and it gradually became clear that he would be taking no further part.
It had all started so sedately with Wales having by far the better of the early exchanges. Hal RobsonKanu flashed a header just wide of the mark from a Joe Ledley corner and Aaron Ramsey chanced his arm with a shot from distance which was always flying over.
But the Republic were not letting them have it all their own way and Ashley Williams was forced to intervene with a couple of superb clearances.
Tom Lawrence, the Wales hero against Georgia, fired in a 20-yard shot that forced Darren Randolph to smother low down on the half hour. At the other end, Shane Duffy WHEN Chris Coleman embarked on his journey as Wales manager in the aftermath of Gary Speed’s death, he could never have imagined an end like this.
The 47-year-old dared the nation to dream ahead of the crunch qualification showdown with Ireland.
But, ultimately, their hopes of booking their first appearance at a caused panic from out wide with a speculative shot which rifled across the face of the goal.
Right on half-time, O’Neill’s men so nearly struck a major blow when Tom Brady’s first-time shot had Wayne Hennessey scrambling to save at the foot of his left-hand post. After the break, Wales seized the early initiative and James Chester brought premature gasps from the crowd with a header that World Cup finals for years faded away Cardiff.
Jeff Hendrick capitalised on a mistake from Ashley Williams to send an inch-perfect cross into the path of James McClean and the West Brom winger made a perfect contact with the ball to send it past Wayne Hennessey and 60 in rippled the side-netting, but it was McClean’s strike that proved decisive.
WALES (4-3-2-1): REPUBLIC Booked:
Goal: Referee:
put Ireland in the World Cup play-offs at Wales’ expense.
Coleman’s contract expired after the 1-0 loss and the former Fulham and Real Sociedad boss has previously hinted a return to club management would be hard to turn down.
He has, however, given his loyal following a clue that this may not be his last match in charge of
OF Booked: IRELAND (4-2-3-1):
Wales. “Diolch”, Welsh for thank you, was emblazoned on the front of the match programme as the Swansea-born manager paid tribute to the red wall of Wales support that has been by his side every step of his remarkable tenure.
And the passionate Welsh fans repaid their manager’s thanks with an electrifying rendition of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau