Republic of Ireland 0-0 Northern Ireland
It was honours even at the Aviva Stadium tonight as the Republic and Northern Ireland slugged it out in a goalless draw.
It wasn’t a classic by any means, but nevertheless, the crowd in Dublin was glad to be there. For the people of Ireland, football is a blessing, particularly at this time. On a day when the UK published its plan to leave the European Union, questions over the Irish border, between north and south, have been the biggest headache. So what better way to forget the politics for a while with this International Friendly: Republic of Ireland vs Northern Ireland?
But a little more entertainment would have been nice!
To be fair, both these teams really needed a result to boost their fragile confidence, and they both have something to take from it in the end in the form of a clean sheet. The Republic had keeper Darren Randolph to thank as he made two crucial saves from one-on-one chances for the visitors.
Highlights of the game
The Republic of Ireland vs Northern Ireland highlights package won’t be too long and Randolph was probably the star of the show. The pre-match Republic of Ireland vs Northern Ireland betting odds favoured Martin O’Neill’s team, with home advantage and boosted by the return of Robbie Brady after a year-long injury.
Three thousand Northern Ireland fans made the trip south to roar on their team, and they almost had a goal to celebrate in the first big chance of the game. The visitors made a rapid break, and Stuart Dallas put Oxford’s Gavin Whyte through on goal. It could have been a perfect start to the winger’s international debut but with just Darren Randolph to beat, he hit the Middlesbrough keeper’s outstretched leg.
The Republic has missed the quality of Brady’s play, and he delivered a beauty of a ball into the box which Shane Duffy headed down toward the goal. But Bailey Peacock-Farrell was able to tip the ball over.
But the hosts were too timid in the first half as the visitors had almost 60 per cent of the possession and Northern Ireland had the best chance in the opening 45.
The pattern continued as the second half struggled to get going, with the Republic of Ireland overly dependent on Brady on his return from injury. The Burnley man showed signs of frustration as little seemed to come off.
And Randolph came to Ireland’s rescue again on 70 minutes when Jordan Jones robbed Darragh Lenihan and bore down on goal, but the hosts’ stopper stuck out a leg and saved again. At this stage, it looked like Northern Ireland were the more likely to break the deadlock, and Michael O’Neill’s team was certainly playing the better football.
As the clock ran down, Brady almost got on the end of a chipped ball forward but George Saville got there first to put the ball out for a corner. And that was as close as anyone came before the referee thankfully blew his whistle.
Key Statistics
This was the first time Martin O’Neill and Michael O’ Neill had clashed as international coaches and there has been very little to choose between their teams as they sit side by side in the FIFA rankings at 33 and 34. This result won’t have changed anything there.
Neither team has scored in their last three matches, so I suppose this stalemate was no surprise. In fact, Northern Ireland failed to score in eight of their last 11 games while the Republic have just one win in ten. This is all a far cry from the last time these two met at the Aviva Stadium when the Republic won 5-0.
Martin O’ Neill’s team still has the edge on head-to-heads at four to two, with three draws.
One note of celebration: Steven Davies made his 100th start for Northern Ireland.
What’s next?
Unsurprisingly, both of the Irish teams are winless in the UEFA Nations League and prop up their respective tables. They are in action again next week in competitive football, so let’s hope for better and make sure you keep up with the SBOBET odds to see where the value may be.
Martin O’ Neill’s men had a goalless draw with Denmark at the Aviva Stadium, though the Danes were without Christian Eriksen, and that makes them half the team they can be. Next Monday, they are off to Denmark in search of their first win of the new tournament.
Northern Ireland host Austria next week in the hope of winning their first point, but that will be little consolation as they were relegated tonight as Austria drew with Bosnia.
The only way is up.
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