Euro 2024 Group B qualifier: Netherlands 1 [Weghorst 12] Republic of Ireland 0
It needed Wout Weghorst’s 12th-minute goal for Oranje to eclipse the drenched green army.
As news filtered through that France versus Gibraltar had finished 14-0 in Nice, the Amsterdam crowd wondered how their heroes failed to humiliate such a limited Republic of Ireland outfit.
Xavi Simons and Cody Gakpo, the young Dutch attackers, also struggled to solve this puzzle, staring to the heavens after each fingertip save by Gavin Bazunu.
Only Weghorst, the former Manchester United striker, delivered by spinning away from Nathan Collins to punish Ireland’s dangerously high press.
Thereafter, Bazunu refused to be beaten. The 21-year-old was the exceptional Irish performer on another night when Stephen Kenny’s charges struggled to play possession football.
“What’s the alternative, defend deep and try and see it out?” Kenny asked. “They will break you down anyway.”
Victory sends the Netherlands to the Euros in Germany next year, securing second place in Group B behind the flawless French. Ireland finish fourth with six points from eight games.
“These are the best players Ireland have now,” said Kenny. “We didn’t take one step back, not one. Yes, they played through us.”
Ireland had one shot on target, by Alan Browne in the sixth minute, to 18 from the Dutch, while Adam Idah’s second-half equaliser was ruled out for offside. Actually, it might have gone down as a Bart Verbruggen own goal as the Brighton goalkeeper bundled Idah’s weak effort over his own line.
“We have to try and establish an element of control in this game,” said Kenny before kick-off.
The Dutch invited the Irish to establish as much control as they wanted. Midfield was wide open at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, with the closed roof providing a dry pitch, ideal for a ball-playing technician like Andy Moran.
Despite promoting the Ireland under-21 captain, so Moran missed Friday’s 3-2 defeat in Norway, Kenny opted not to cap the teenager on Saturday night. Instead, Browne, Josh Cullen and Jason Knight battled hard without ever rewarding the runs of Evan Ferguson and Callum Robinson.
Both Irish forwards were gone early, Robinson replaced by Idah at half-time while Ferguson made way for Jamie McGrath 10 minutes into the second half and immediately iced up his hamstring.
The hosts scored early before inviting Ireland on to them. Ryan Manning was presented with three opportunities to send balls into the box from wide left, but on each occasion he failed to clear the first Dutch body.
“Ireland can hurt you on set pieces or on the break,” said Dutch skipper Virgil van Dijk, “but we defended well and we deserved to qualify.”
Hundreds of Irish fans missed kick-off because stadium security searched all 2,700 of them. Many had to be told about Ireland’s only attempt on target when Quilindschy Hartman’s sloppy clearance invited Robinson to tee up Browne, whose tame shot was straight at Verbruggen.
A constant feature on the night was unforced Irish errors in possession as Simons and Gakpo forced a composed Liam Scales, Collins and Bazunu into last-ditch interventions.
Despite some brave tackling, Collins had a poor game with Ireland lucky not to go two down when the Brentford centre half gifted a chance to Denzel Dumfries. The 22-year-old also suffered a late, serious looking ankle injury that could rule him out of Tuesday’s friendly against New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium.
Ireland hung on all night, looking spent in Castore shirts stuck to their skin, as the Dutch toyed with them. Simons, the rising Red Bull Leipzig star, sprinted through the middle, only to be denied a first international goal by Gakpo’s trailing leg. Bazunu continually played his part, making snap saves from Weghorst and Tijjani Reijnders.
Suddenly, approaching the hour mark, the Dutch inexplicably nodded off, allowing Manning to pick a pass for Idah to sprint clear and when Verbruggen fumbled the shot, a wholly undeserved draw seemed possible. The officials quickly signalled offside.
Ireland did have two free-kicks in injury-time to snatch a point, with Bazunu coming forward, but their execution was in keeping with the entire campaign. Technically bereft.
NETHERLANDS: Verbruggen (Brighton); De Vrij (Inter Milan), Van Dijk (Liverpool), Blind (Girona); Dumfries (Inter Milan), Schouten (PSV Eindhoven), Reijnders (AC Milan), Hartman (Feyenoord); Simons (Red Bull Leipzig), Gakpo (Liverpool); Weghorst (1899 Hoffenheim).
Subs: Veerman (PSV Eindhoven) for Gakpo (69 mins); Mallen (PSV Eindhoven) for Simons (80); De Roon (Atalanta) for Schouten; Koopmeiners (Atalanta) for Reijnders (90).
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Bazunu (Southampton); Doherty (Wolves), Collins (Brentford), O’Shea (Burnley), Scales (Celtic), Manning (Southampton); Knight (Bristol City), Cullen (Burnley), Browne (Preston North End); Ferguson (Brighton), Robinson (Cardiff City).
Subs: Idah (Norwich City) for Robinson (46 mins); McGrath (Aberdeen) for Ferguson (54); Johnston (Glasgow Celtic) for Doherty, Molumby (WBA) for Knight (both 77); Parrott (Excelsior) for O’Shea (90).
Referee: Andrea Colombo (Italy).
