Republic of Ireland 0-0 Denmark
The UEFA Nations League game between Ireland and Denmark had all the makings of a dramatic football game.
Martin O’Neill and the Ireland squad have not forgotten the hiding they endured against the Danes that denied them a ticket to the big dance last summer. The need for the Boys in Green to win this game was all the rage in various UEFA Nations League 2018 news pages. They had the chance to steal the show when their bogeyman was listed unavailable to compete.
However, they weren’t able to give the crowd what they wanted. The game ended in a boring goalless draw that frustrated many fans that made a bet in the SBOBET UEFA Nations League market.
Highlights of the game
With Christian Eriksen gone for the Danes, Age Hareide had to field a slightly weaker team. The young Kasper Dolber, who is in fine form for Eredivisie giants Ajax, was tapped to step in for the Tottenham man.
The Irish took the opportunity to defy Ireland vs Denmark odds and score an early goal against the Danish Dynamite. Jeff Hendrick took the first dangerous shot of the game, and the Burnley midfielder tried to force a shot. However, the ball flew just outside the right post.
The game had its own good share of physicality as the Boys in Green are doing everything they can to rejuvenate national interest in the Beautiful Game and fill the seats of the Aviva Stadium once more. Harry Arter, trying to cement his spot in the team after his row with coach Roy Keane, made a rough tackle that got him carded early.
Pundits believe that this Ireland squad is the weakest the nation has fielded in quite a while and is in desperate need of heroes to step up. Stoke City’s James McClean is doing everything he can on and off the pitch to get Ireland back on the right track. However, his brilliance on the attack was hampered by Kasper Schmeichel and the Danish backline.
The next big chance for the Boys in Green didn’t come until late in the first half. Shane Duffy latched onto a great free kick to head the ball towards goal. Unfortunately for the fans that flocked Aviva, the ball just drifted inches wide of the left post.
Pione Sisto finally got Denmark onto a dangerous position at the end of the half when he created a chance himself and fired a mid-range rocket. The Irish breathed a sigh of relief as the shot was denied by the right post. The referee blew the whistle, and both teams headed to the lockers with a frustrating goal in their hands.
Hareide made the necessary adjustments during the break and organised the Danes to become much more effective moving forward. The Danes began to disregard the Irish pressure and were beginning to make piercing runs through the defence. It’s only the overloaded box that made Sisto’s 55th-minute shot fly way off-target.
Simon Kjaer almost broke the deadlock after 58 minutes when he found Lasse Schone’s cross and fired it away from Darren Randolph. Fortunately for the Boys in Green, Arter was there to deny the goal and clear it away from the box.
Denmark have completely dominated the match by this point. While the Irish were able to gain possession, the Danish Dynamite easily dispossessed them and had a good chunk of possession. They were able to control the ball, but the lack of quality moving forward was painfully noticeable for the Danes.
It took 72 minutes for Ireland to get another great chance. Good build-up by the Boys in Green saw the Danish backline stretched a bit. The ball ended in Cyrus Christie’s person on the right side. The Fulham defender unleashed a brilliant effort, but Captain Schmeichel was able to push the good attempt away from goal.
Denmark began upping their attacks as the game neared its end. Yussuf Poulsen and Martin Braithwaite put on some brilliant individual efforts to try and defeat the Irish backline. However, Darren Randolph was simply superb in between the sticks as he denied both attempts.
Both teams scrambled to get a late goal, but both sides just lacked enough quality to get the required goal. The Aviva Stadium was quiet as the referee blew the final whistle: both teams knew that this draw was not what the fans deserved to see.
Key statistics
Denmark have always been consistent in defeating opponents that are considered weaker than them, as their last 31 wins have been against better competition. However, it seems that they could not find the back of the net this time.
They really missed the creativity of Eriksen in the middle: while they were able to take 15 shots on 64% possession, only two of those were on target. They were also caught offside three times.
The referee was called into question during the game as the Danes committed 14 fouls but only got carded once. Meanwhile, the Irish got four yellow cards after committing 12 fouls.
What’s next?
Both nations will have a bit of a break before engaging in more gruelling tests. Ireland will need to toughen up as they face Wales up next. O’Neill needs to produce a result here if he wants his team to have a chance to stay at League B.
Meanwhile, the Danes will have a shot at redemption when they welcome Austria at the MCH Arena. They should have no problems defeating their guests as they are coming into this game as heavy favourites.
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