Irish show their character as Walters’ late strike seals point
● Sluggish start by O’neill’s men but fightback earns a draw to keep their campaign on track
Jonathan Walters got the Republic of Ireland out of jail as Austria threatened to dent their World Cup qualification hopes.
Walters’ 85th-minute equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw ensures the Republic will head into September’s Group D doubleheader against Georgia and Serbia still four points clear of the Austrians, who left Dublin wondering just how they had taken only a point.
They might even have boarded the plane empty-handed had Shane Duffy’s late header not been ruled out for a foul, but that would have been daylight robbery of a side who had deservedly led through Martin Hinteregger’s strike.
Republic manager Martin O’neill, pictured, sprang a surprise when he handed a third cap and a competitive debut to Burnley defender Kevin Long, who could hardly have dreamt that would be his reward for missing out on being best man at his brother’s wedding last weekend to join up with the squad.
But the champagne he missed on that occasion remained on ice as Ireland turned in as poor an opening 45 minutes as they have done for some time, as their distaste for being regarded as favourites proved well-founded.
An Austria side shorn of many of their big names by injury, illness and suspension took the game by the scruff of the neck, just as O’neill had urged his own players to do in the run-up. And full-back Hinteregger blasted the visitors into a 31st-minute lead after defender Sebastian Prodl dummied David Alaba’s outswinging corner.
Ireland needed an early response and resumed after the break in encouraging fashion when defender Duffy headed just wide, although they might have fallen further behind when Alaba skied a shot after exchanging passes with Florian Kainz, and Zlatko Junuzovic was denied by Duffy’s last-ditch block.
The real drama arrived in the closing stages with the Republic going for broke.
Long saw his 80th-minute header hacked off the line by Stefan Lainer, but the home side were not to be denied and they levelled five minutes later when Walters smashed a dipping volley across goalkeeper Heinz Lindner and into the bottom corner. Ireland thought they had won it just seconds later when Duffy bundled the ball home from close range after substitute Florian Grillitsch desperately hacked the ball towards his own goal, but Spanish referee David Borbalan had spotted a foul on Lainer on the line and chalked it off.
“There’s nothing wrong with it at all – he’s called a foul on Shane Duffy and I can’t see it,” said O’neill.
The former Celtic manager added: “We were fantastic in the second half in terms of drive and energy and we were hard done by.
“Jon Walters epitomised the strength and character this squad possesses. Second half, we were really terrific.”
“We were fantastic in the second half in terms of energy. Jon Walters epitomises the character this squad possesses”
MARTIN O’NEILL