"Soak up the pressure and hit'em on the break" had been the Irish game plan in Atvidaberg last night against the team widely regarded as the title favourites at these European Youth Championships. Rarely has a scheme been transferred more smoothly from drawing board to football pitch.
Four times Brian Kerr and his opposite number Inaki Saez Ruiz have seen their various teams do battle over the past couple of seasons and prior to this game and the 60th minute penalty that decided it in Ireland's favour it was two wins apiece. By the look of him afterwards, there's little that gives the Irish boss more pleasure than getting the upper hand on an old friend.
For the bulk of the 90 minutes, Kerr estimated it to have been 70 per cent of the time, the Spanish had the ball and seemed to have a pretty good idea of what to do with it. More than once the Irish had to ride their luck with David Aganzo Mendez's decision, in particular, to pass rather than shoot late in the first period probably costing his side at least a draw. For stretches too the Irish players' own tendency to defend so deeply did much to help keep their management team on the edges of their seats.
Throughout the side, though, there were the sort of performances that win important games with Jason Gavin and Clive Clarke limiting the threat around the box, Colin Healy consistently looking to direct the counterattacks and the three forwards all making much of what little possession came their way.
The reward for their perseverance appeared to come in the 57th minute when Ger Crossley fed Richie Partridge and the Liverpool winger's angled cross was turned past the Spanish goalkeeper by the head of Gary Doherty. When the linesman signalled that the Luton stiker had stayed the wrong side of the last man, however, Ireland's celebrations were delayed for three full minutes.
Next time around it was Doherty who set up Partridge and when the former Stella Maris man pushed the ball around the spread-eagled Iker Casillas Fernandez the Israeli referee promptly pointed to the spot from where Crossley calmly pushed the ball home.
With a half an hour left to salvage something it was far from over for the Spaniards and Real Madrid's "Corona" Garcia played an increasingly central role in midfield as his side pushed forward in search of an equaliser. They were no longer running things the way they had early on, though, and the goal never came.
The game, in fact, had been lost in the opening period when, despite a bright opening minute or so, things had been even tougher for the Irish who often seemed to be surviving rather than absorbing the bulk of the pressure to which the Spaniards subjected them.
From all around the area their opponents were causing them problems but it was on the flanks that Kerr's men were particularly feeling the heat, Greg O'Halloran and John Frost both struggling to cope with the darting runs of Jofre Mateu Gonzalez and Francisco Gallardo Leon respectively. Later Frost was to be replaced by Peter Murphy and the Blackburn Rovers defender did well over the course of the second period when, despite having up to five players thrown forward, the Spanish found it noticeably more difficult to get in behind the Irish back four.
With their team comfortably on top in the first 45 minutes, however, the two wide men along with their lone out and out striker, David Aganzo Mendez, and the team's leading scorer from the qualifying rounds, central midfielder Mario Rosas, created enough chances between them to win the game several times over. But few of their actual attempts on goal hit the target and, all things considered, Delaney had few enough saves to make.
When goalkeeper Dean Delaney was pressed into service he performed well, possibly his best moment coming in the 75th minute when Roberto Trashorras Gayoso struck a powerful swerving shot which the Dubliner first blocked and then quickly gathered. By then his opposite number had had to be far more athletic, never more than in the first minute when Crossley tested him with a close range header.
As they reflect on the game ahead of tomorrow's clash with Italy, who beat Georgia 2-0 last night, the Spaniards will probably feel that they were a little unlucky not to have gotten something out of this match. But at the back of their minds it will surely concern them that they failed at the very least to force Delaney into playing a far more central role.
IRELAND: Delaney (Everton); O'Halloran (Cork City), Gavin (Middlesbrough), Clarke (Stoke City), Frost (Waterford Utd); Crossley (unattached), Miller (Celtic), Healy (Celtic); Partridge (Liverpool), Doherty (Luton Tn), Baker (Shelbourne). Subs: Murphy (Blackburn Rovers) for Frost (half-time), Barrett (Arsenal) for Baker (86 mins).
SPAIN: Casillas Fernandez (Real Madrid); Bernal (Real Avila), Lopo Garcia (Espanol), Harcia Haro (Barcelona), Cosgaya (Athletico Bilbao); Corona Garcia (Real Madrid), Camacho Barnola (Real Zaragoza), Rosas (Barcelona), Jofre Gonzalez (Barcelona); Gallardo Leon (Seville), Aganzo Mendez (Real Madrid). Subs: Santamaria (Barcelona) and Trashorras (Barcelona) for Rosas and Gallardo Leon (61 mins), Sanchez (Real Betis) for Jofre Gonzalez (76 mins).
Referee: E Zur (Israel).
