Toothless Republic grind out draw in Aarhus

Martin O’Neill saw the Republic of Ireland scrap their way to just a second Nations League point as they ground out a 0-0 draw in Denmark last night.

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.

O’Neill told Sky Sports: “It’s certainly been tough (this year). We have played five friendlies, but we haven’t chosen easy friendlies. We’ve never done that.

“We are making progress. The young players will come through, and hopefully with a little bit of guidance by some of the senior players and all of us round about it, they can be ready in a few months’ time.”

Martin O’Neill.