Republic take point from ‘genuinely difficult’ game
VALERI KAZAISHVILI put the brakes on the Republic of Ireland’s charge towards the World Cup Finals as they drew in Georgia.
The midfielder cancelled out Shane Duffy’s early opener, the first goal of his senior international career, before the break to leave the Republic hanging on in Tbilisi.
Ireland boss Martin O’Neill had admitted before kick- off that the Group D clash was not so much a “tricky” affair as a “really, genuinely difficult” one – and so it proved as Georgia did everything within their powers to secure a first win of the campaign.
The Republic, who had won all eight previous meetings between the sides, started strongly and ended on the front foot with three out-and-out strikers on the pitch, but did too little in between to warrant anything more than a draw.
Indeed, the Georgians among a small but noisy crowd at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena will feel a point was significantly more than the visitors deserved, although substitute Aiden McGeady wasted a glorious opportunity to win it at the death.
It was a different story to three years ago, when a late McGeady goal at the same stadium secured three points.
Ireland headed for home knowing Tuesday’s clash with Serbia at the Aviva Stadium has assumed even greater proportions as a result of their result in Tbilisi – and that there is still a long way to go in the group in which they sit second, two points behind their next opponents.
They could hardly have got off to a better start than when they took the lead with just four minutes gone.
Goalkeeper Giorgi Makaridze chose to come for, but did not reach, Cyrus Christie’s deep free- kick under pressure from Duffy and Ciaran Clark. And the pain of colliding with the pair was doubled when Brighton defender Duffy climbed highest to head into the unguarded net.
Georgia levelled on 34 minutes when Ananidze accepted Valerian Gvilia’s pass, shuffled the ball into space and then slid it between Duffy and Christie for Kazaishvili to beat the advancing Randolph.