Slow starts need to be addressed
Folk were still shuffling towards their seats when Barnabás Varga put Hungary ahead in the second minute at the Aviva on Saturday night.
The stragglers who missed Hungary’s opening goal only had themselves to blame though because Ireland supporters had been well warned of such a possibility – this was the eighth time under Heimir Hallgrímsson’s watch that the team had fallen behind first in nine competitive matches. Indeed, it was the fourth occasion they’d conceded an opener inside 20 minutes – Hungary’s second-minute goal joining Finland (17 mins), England (11 mins) and Bulgaria (six mins).
Hallgrímsson did address the sluggish starts in his post-match interviews but addressing it on the pitch is what’s really needed.
Ireland blessed as a land of holy goalies
Whether or not Caoimhín Kelleher was Man of the Match is debatable, but there is no question the Corkman produced some crucial stops when needed. Had Ireland fallen three behind or indeed conceded another after closing the gap to 2-1, our World Cup aspirations would already be in tatters.
RM Block
Not for the first time, Ireland appear to have a saviour between the posts – maintaining a proud lineage for a country that also produced the likes of Packie Bonner, Shay Given, and Alan Kelly (junior and senior).
Currently, Gavin Bazunu and Mark Travers are keeping Kelleher on his toes for the number one jersey. The position looks solid.
Hungary’s red card changed everything
Roland Sallai’s red card in the 53rd minute of the contest changed the entire game. His reckless challenge on Dara O’Shea rightfully led to a straight red for the Galatasaray man who had scored the visitor’s second goal. He went from hero to villain in an instant as the momentum of the tie swung on his sending off. Ireland had clawed a goal back through Evan Ferguson by that stage, but Hungary really only started to look shaky when reduced to 10 men.
For all the euphoria in the immediate aftermath of Adam Idah’s equaliser, the reality is that it took until injury-time for Ireland to break down a rather ordinary 10-man opposition. Chances are the Hungarians would have held on with 11.
Stark difference between hope and reality
The mood-music coming from the Ireland camp in the build-up to the game all week had been so positive. It was all very refreshing, very hopeful, very exciting. So, to be 2-0 down after a quarter-hour was quite the twist in Ireland’s tale of creating new heroes on the way to the 2026 World Cup, because at half-time in the Aviva, few inside the ground were budgeting for a trip to America next summer.
Ireland entered Saturday’s match on the back of a scoreless draw with Luxembourg, a 1-1 draw with Senegal, a pair of 2-1 wins over Bulgaria and a 5-0 loss to England. What if all the positivity had been built on a hill of beans?
The second-half comeback at least offered some evidence to believe there is more to come from this group. But Saturday night proved, more than anything, that we still don’t know if this team can get the job done.
Ireland lacking a midfield general
Ireland have tried various players in the centre of the pitch in recent years but no matter the combination we haven’t produced a midfield general capable of setting the tone, pulling the strings and generally orchestrating matters from the main thoroughfare.
Josh Cullen is the one who has looked most likely to step up and become that player but the Burnley man was taken off during the second half on Saturday.
Hallgrímsson cannot just conjure up a Roy Keane-esque midfielder from thin air but perhaps the Ireland management need to get creative in trying to give the team a calming and physical presence in the middle.
