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Disappointing draw

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

Ireland 1
Russia 1

Still, the glass is half full. In the wake of Mick McCarthy’s acrimonious departure following two depressing defeats at the start of the qualifying process, if someone had offered his successor a playoff for a place in the 2004 finals in Portugal, the proverbial hand would have been proverbially bitten off.
With outstanding fixtures pitting Switzerland, Russia and Georgia against one another yet to be completed, if Ireland beat the Swiss in Basle on Oct. 11, Kerr’s side will be guaranteed a playoff at the very least. It goes without saying that other results could alter the picture in the manager’s favor, but that is the one certainty at the moment.
So while victory last weekend would have put the Irish in a strong position to overhaul group leaders Switzerland and qualify for the finals by right, all is far from lost. There were moments, however, when the Lansdowne Road roar was reduced to a whimper, and when defeat by a composed and at times elegant Russian side appeared imminent.
In truth, Damien Duff’s goal toward the end of the first half had come against the run of play, and when Russia’s substitute Sergei Ignashevich equalized soon after, it was no great surprise. If the lament for Roy Keane is now mostly confined to the archives, it was the lack of his namesake Robbie that cost the home team dearly.
With Clinton Morrison struggling to make any impression at the apex of the attack, and with Duff necessarily deployed in a second striker role rather than as a winger, goal chances were few and far between. With Morrison rediscovering his touch following injury, the absence of Keane with knee ligament damage was acutely felt.
“It’s not always up to the strikers to create,” Kerr said, “because the Russians were happy enough to defend. We needed to create a bit more and we didn’t do that. We didn’t have many chances, the rhythm didn’t quite come for us. The likelihood now is that we have to go to Switzerland and win and I believe we can do it.”
Kerr also stressed that his team will need goals against the Swiss, so Keane’s return is more vital than ever. With little to threaten the Russian defense, it was obvious that Lee Carsley, a surprising selection on the right side of midfield, given his recent injury layoff, would need to be replaced, and Kerr duly introduced Steven Reid at the start of the second half.
To compound matters, John O’Shea twisted his knee after 25 minutes and Ian Harte was brought on as a substitute, while captain Kenny Cunningham picked up a yellow card and will now be suspended for the game in Switzerland.
All the problems dogging Kerr’s side were temporarily eased in the 34th minute when Duff tantalized the Russian defense on the edge of the box before firing in a shot that took an evil deflection off Victor Onopko. It was justifiable reward for the Chelsea player’s sustained excellence, but something of a surprise in light of Ireland’s collective mediocrity.
Predictably, Russia weren’t long in finding an equalizer. Given Kerr’s emphasis on organization at the back, Sergei Ignashevich’s goal was an embarrassing shambles. Alexander Kerzhakov had brought a good save out of Shay Given, and from Alex Mostovoi’s resulting corner, Given was at fault when he failed to punch the ball clear of trouble. However, there was little response from the goalkeeper’s defenders, and Ignashevich drove the ball into the net.
“I was disappointed with the goal,” Kerr said. “We don’t concede too many of them like that.
“Shay was a bit unlucky, but we still didn’t react quickly enough after that. Ian Harte had just come on for John O’Shea and we were a bit unsettled. All in all, the players are hugely disappointed and I think that’s a sign of the standards they set for themselves.”
Despite the tenacity and application of Matt Holland and Colin Healy in the middle of the pitch, and the industry of Kevin Kilbane, who was deservedly named man of the match, the Irish rarely looked like added to Duff’s goal during the second half. If anything, Ignashevich could have scored again from a header and Steve Carr was forced to make a last-ditch tackle on Kerzhakov.
Gary Doherty replaced a tiring Morrison with 20 minutes to go and only reminded the 36,000 spectators of the value of a fit Robbie Keane. Both Keane, and much more invention, will be required in Switzerland next month.

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