Chisinau. There’s a first time for everything. And it had the sound of a home game too, although judging by the size of the apartment block behind one of the stands there were probably plenty of spectators, just not of the paying kind.
Two changes to Thursday night’s team after that ultimately successful but less than fluid performance, Damien Duff in for Liam Brady, adding a little more energy down the left side, and Didi Hamann replacing Eamon Dunphy, some balance and steadiness needed for this tricky trip.
Richie Sadlier kept his place in the line-up which, incidentally, was 51 years younger, combined, than that Eamo/Liamo/Gilesie combination, which probably has the makings of an age discrimination case for the Equality Tribunal.
A change, too, in the commentary box, Jim Beglin stepping in to Ronnie Whelan’s shoes, the latter sounding in such deep despair after having to endure that Georgia game he might have let on he had a sore throat.
Mind you, having watched Georgia against Wales earlier in the evening, maybe we were actually brilliant on Thursday and just didn’t realise it. Tony O’Donoghue made more or less that very point to Martin O’Neill, but Martin had his grumpy head on and nothing would bring a smile out of him.
So, then Moldova? Easy peasy? “A banana skin, believe you me,” warned Duffer, but he then dug out his research and noted that they were actually ranked below Barbados in the Fifa list. “And I didn’t even know Barbados had a team,” he added, perhaps not knowing that nine of their squad play for the Barbados Defence Force, so he’d want to watch himself next time he holidays in the Caribbean.
Prediction time. Duffer wasn’t expecting Moldova to get a spanking but Didi anticipated them getting a beating, so somewhere in between would do.
Over to Chisinau and George Hamilton told us the referee’s sister is a world champion ballroom dancer, which was good to know. “We’ll see how his rhythm is tonight,” he added, and either that was a heavy Beglo sigh, or a glitch in the satellite signal.
Just one minute, 56 seconds in and a nightmare start for Ireland: they scored, Wesiniho deliciously setting up Shane Long for his first goal in forever. We knew what this meant, we’d look like scoring a second for about 43 minutes, and then we’d concede. That is our fate in life.
For 42 minutes we looked like we’d score a second, and then the Bugaev lad did, a moment about which Shane Duffy will not tell his grandchildren. “That’s a bad goal to give away,” said George, and if he lived until the end of time he wouldn’t utter a greater understatement.
“How have we ended up back here,” asked Darragh, in a decidedly heavy-hearted way, Richie doing his best to raise his spirits, pointing out that we’d done everything right, except that goal-conceding bit.
Second half. As it edged on it made the Georgia game look like an epic, there appeared to be no movement in the clock. And then Long’s hamstring decided it had enough and there were so few options of the attacking variety on the bench Martin must have been tempted to chuck John O’Shea up front and go all out hoof-a-rama.
While you never, of course, want to single out players, gawd almighty James McClean was brutal. How often did you howl ‘GET HIM OFF?’ Us too.
Moments later, McClean was on a hat-trick.
Funny old game.
“It’s shaping up to a satisfactory conclusion,” said a highly perked-up George, but there were still 11 minutes on the clock at that point, so you’d think he’d know better.
But all’s well that ends with two James McClean goals.
Duffer was chuffed for the fella. “He’s a passionate man about his country, which you’d know from his Twitter account … which he opens and closes all the time.”
Hashtag #JobDone. #HatsOffJames. #BringOnAustria.
