England 1 Rep of Ireland 1: In the end, for all the talk beforehand, the only real similarity to 1991 was the scoreline. Still, a visiting side that contained a fraction of the star power of their hosts came through unbeaten and the final whistle was celebrated, as it so often is when this Republic of Ireland team travels to places like this, as if it marked the completion of a famous victory.
England, it was clear, were the better side over the course of the 90 minutes but Giovanni Trapattoni’s players did what they were supposed to in these particular circumstances; they dug deep, gave their all, rode their luck as required and ultimately did enough to frustrate a side that simply didn’t possess the creativity nor the finishing required to put them away.
The Irish back four will take both pride and encouragement from the way they held out, while the manager will be pleased with several of the individual performances produced on such a big stage, notably those turned in by Shane Long, Séamus Coleman and, late on especially, David Forde.
Whether anything was really learned from the exercise is another thing. Trapattoni, typically enough, shied away from using six substitutes in the end and changed little really in terms of shape or tactics with the four he introduced over the course of the second half. On this occasion more than most, however, the fans will probably forgive him his conservatism.
It all started sweetly for Ireland as they regained the advantage they had held over their rivals before the last meeting between the sides was prematurely halted 18 years ago through Long’s superb header after 13 minutes.
Robbie Keane, who struggled to make any sort of impact over the opening stages, lost possession to Frank Lampard but the Chelsea midfielder gave it straight back and Jon Walters did well to feed Coleman, whose brilliant cross was flicked perfectly to the far top corner by the West Brom striker under pressure from Glen Johnson and Gary Cahill.
Few complaints
It was against the run of play but England could have few complaints given the quality of the finish. Their own efforts in that department hadn't been quite so clinical but there was a sense from early on that the chances would come and that the Irish might need a little luck if they weren't to concede.
Certainly there was a hint of last-gasp about some of Ireland’s work at the back, with a willingness to get plenty of bodies back behind the ball enabling the visitors to smother most of England’s more promising moves.
Wayne Rooney looked a threat playing just off the side’s ostensibly lone striker Daniel Sturridge while Lampard repeatedly arrived into the box as the ball was worked in from one flank or the other.
Stephen Kelly had a difficult enough night on the left but after 23 minutes it was from the other side that the equaliser came, with Michael Carrick chipping into space for Sturridge to run into. The Liverpool striker, as opponents stood off him, got in his cross that Seán St Ledger failed to clear and Lampard, losing his marker Glenn Whelan, did very well to control before slipping past Forde.
Through most of what followed England looked comfortably the more likely to push on and take control of things but the Irish did enough to prevent things being completely wrestled away from them.
Coleman, probably Ireland's brightest performer on the night, did well to cut out a low Theo Walcott cross that was heading for Rooney late in the half while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain presented Forde with a relatively easy save after O'Shea had won and then given the ball cheaply away and Carrick and Rooney had worked it forward again well.
Scrappy stuff
It was scrappy stuff, though, with England knocking the ball around well enough in midfield at times but rarely stringing together the sort of passing moves that were going to open up a cautious Irish side.
Lampard, and later Leighton Baines, wasted free kicks in promising positions while Forde looked generally more comfortable under the Chelsea midfielder’s lofted corners than he did with the ball pinging about immediately in front of him.
The Irish, meanwhile, left Long to maintain a lone presence up front for stretches but the striker was more closely watched now. Trapattoni’s midfield, plus Keane, tended to prioritise the defensive end of things while looking for chances to break forward. Joe Hart, though, and later Ben Foster, had a quiet time of it, with McGeady, Coleman and James McClean managing attempts that didn’t require a serious save.
Foster, in fact, was in significant trouble only once when he fumbled a McClean cross under pressure from Long and Walters’s header looked to be goal-bound until Cox, who had strayed offside, trapped it just short of the goal line.
The incident seemed to serve as a wake-up call to the home side who began to show a little more urgency. They probably should have had a winner six minutes from time when Rooney’s shot was deflected into the path of Oxlade-Chamberlain but Forde was quick off his line to save with his knee and the Galwayman then denied Walcott a few moments later with an outstretched boot.
