Ireland 1
Switzerland 0
— Niall Kelly reports from the Aviva Stadium
THIS WASN’T EVEN much of a game for the neutrals, people wryly observed, but Ciaran Clark’s early header was enough to ensure that Ireland got their Euro 2016 preparations off to a winning start.
The easy atmosphere was a million miles away from the high-stakes tension of November’s playoff win over Bosnia, no doubt lubricated by the fact that the Aviva Stadium was one of the few places where people could dodge the Good Friday alcohol ban.
It was the perfect complement to the languid football on offer, barely punctuated by drama after Clark flicked home the game’s only goal with less than two minutes on the clock.
Martin O’Neill handed out three debuts over the course of an experimental evening, and it’s safe to assume that a lot of the names on show won’t feature in his starting XI in the Stade de France in 80 days’ time.
With just 23 seats on the plane and spaces rapidly filling, this was always going to be a night when individual performances would be scrutinised more closely than any real team cohesion.
In that respect, Shane Duffy was a clear winner with a man of the match performance on only his second senior start while Clark looked every bit as assured alongside him at the heart of the Irish defence. A glimpse of the future perhaps, in the medium-term if not even sooner than that.
Alan Judge was rewarded for his stellar club form with a first cap, though he was asked to play out wide rather than in his preferred playmaking role behind the striker, while new boys Eunan O’Kane and Johnny Hayes were also introduced from the bench in the second half.
Cruelly, as it often does, fate saved its nastiest hand for one of those with the most to prove. At 32, this summer might well have been Kevin Doyle’s last chance to represent his country at a major tournament, but his night was cut short by a leg injury which saw him stretchered off in visible discomfort after just 27 minutes. There was no immediate prognosis but the initial signs looked ominous.
With a large proportion of their first-teamers absent, Ireland’s play was disjointed at times and it was no real surprise that the goal came from a set piece.
The last time Robbie Brady was here, he bemoaned the inconsistency of his deliveries against Bosnia, though he eventually found one killer blow that night. Tonight it took him less than two minutes to find his mark.
Duffy got up highest, outjumping Norwich man Timm Klose, and when he headed the ball goalwards, Clark stole in to nod it on past Yann Sommer from two yards out.
Duffy has stood out one of Ireland’s outstanding performers at club level for Blackburn, and he carried that form on his return to the national side. Both he and Clark were kept busy by Switzerland’s highly-rated teen Breel Embolo and Blerim Dzemaili, but solid organisation and clever reading of the game snuffed out the most serious threats as they were materialising.
It led to a relatively quiet night for Darren Randolph, who remains in pole position to be Ireland’s number one this summer, though he is set to watch from the sidelines as Rob Elliot auditions against Slovakia on Tuesday night.
Randolph was able to watch in the ninth minute as Haris Seferovic blazed high and wide under little pressure, and again a few minutes later when the same man outjumped Clark but looped his header harmlessly over the bar.
Indeed, it wasn’t until the 34th minute that he was called upon for his first real save, Granit Xhaka’s shot taking a big deflection off Seferovic but not altering course by enough to deceive the West Ham stopper.
Ireland did have chances to double their advantage in the first half, and before he was stretchered off, Doyle nearly flicked a near-post corner past Sommer.
His recall to the starting XI — a first international cap since October 2014 — was unexpected but his tireless workrate made him an asset worth considering for O’Neill. That industry allowed him to link well with Long early on, and indeed it was his undoing as he came off the worse in a 50/50 clash with Klose and departed with his head in his hands to be replaced by Darryl Murphy.
Long was desperately unlucky not to score in the 37th minute. Seamus Coleman was turned loose by a quick free and when he stood up a cross, Long powered a header off the underside of the bar with Sommer rooted to the spot.
And then Judge had half a chance to mark his debut with a goal, but he appeared to lose concentration for a split-second and couldn’t steer his free header on target.
Clear-cut chances were few and far between for both sides in a pedestrian second half. Ireland sat off the Swiss and allowed them to monopolise possession, confident that they could thwart the attacking forays.
Dzemaili nearly picked the lock with a neat through ball on 55 minutes, but Clark was smartly across to deny Embolo. Dzemaili then had a chance of his own but didn’t connect cleanly enough with his header to really test Randolph.
O’Neill emptied his bench with O’Kane and Hayes making their bows, while James McCarthy, Wes Hoolahan and James McClean also got a chance to stretch their legs.
The resolute Irish concentration almost cracked seven minutes from time but after some haphazard defence, substitute Shani Tarashaj’s shot deflected off Clark and then Embolo before trickling wide.
O’Kane could have sealed matters in stoppage time when he pounced on a loose pass from Gelson Fernandes. The Bournemouth man tried to pick his spot but his curling shot was inches wide of Sommer’s post.
A new cast will likely get their chance on Tuesday night but for Duffy and Clark especially, this was very clearly an opportunity taken.
IRELAND: Randolph, Coleman, Duffy, Clark, Brady, Quinn (McCarthy 61), Meyler (O’Kane 61), Judge, McGeady (Hayes 61), Long (McClean 84), Doyle (Murphy 27, Hoolahan 79).
SWITZERLAND: Sommer, Lang (Widmer 82), Schar, Klose, Rodriguez (Moubandje 78), Dzemaili (Tarashaj 71), Xhaka, Behrami (Fernandes 72), Mehmedi (Kasami 71), Embolo, Seferovic (Steffan 62).
Referee: Miroslav Zelinka (CZE)
Attendance: 35,450
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
At least we can defend a 1-0 lead for over 80mins.. Might be useful in the practice for the Euros.
If we play this we will be like the past euro no midfield, Clark and Duffy good also coalman hard on long got very little good ball
These count for ranking points, don’t they? That’s something, if so.
Yep, Switzerland 12th in the rankings.
Now just need to take Slovakia seriously.
If we can always take these friendlies seriously, we can be seeded second for every Euro qualifying group indefinitely.
Re: Shane Duffy.
It’s actually just to have a tall player on our side!
Can I buy 2 please :-o
I haven’t been able to get a pint at the Aviva for a football game since God knows how long, how come they decided to change their rule today?
Get more people to go by saying every ticket can get to a bar.
Friendly match. It’s only in FIFA/UEFA qualifiers when alcohol at football matches arent allowed although there have been some friendlies where beer hasn’t been sold.
Not a great game but a win a win
Duffy and Clark long term centre back partnership? Would love to see both start in the Euros (O’Shea has been poor for Ireland the past few games)
Yea o’shea was useless against Germany. .kept a clean sheet. .oh forgot he might even have scored a goal..my mistake.
Past 11 years you mean surely
Nice win but a little worrying for the strength of depth in the squad. It seem like until Wes and mcCarthy came on we had no ideas in attack. Like we were trying to recreate the Germany goal by playing the hopeful ball for long to chase down 9 out or 10 times. I know it was a second string team but nobody really stood out to me as being able to do the job if we get a couple of bad injuries. Defense we solid tonight.
O kane had very good chance to make a name for himself. Happy enough though.
Brady has a beautiful left boot.reminds me of myself in 5th year in secondary during for PE up on the top pitch.shame i was crap in every other aspect of the game or else yee’d be talking about me and not this Messi bloke. :)
He might have a beautiful left boot but he can’t use his right one to even get on the team bus…
Best game I’ve ever seen
It would be travesty it they don’t make a documentary about it!
I concur
Was at the game. Very poor. While I am happy the result went our way – We’d be taken apart by the bigger nations. Really frustrating when our keepers get the ball they all go long. Every other team goes short but us.
Absolutely have no love for soccer but I will always support Irish teams in all sports… But we can lift ourselves and punch way above our weight against the bigger teams so on that logic maybe we have a chance at the euros.$hite, that didn’t work out so great at the last euros… Ah well…..
Better than so many other pre tournament friendlies in the past! Croatia 0:0 comes to mind!
Feel sorry for Doyle – the pic he posted to twitter looks pretty horrible. Hoping surgery goes well.
Im so excited for ireland in the future.
Chris forrester,jeff henderick,robbie brady,seamus coleman,jack byrne,cyrus christie,richie towell,shane duffy and clarke with shane long,darren gibson and mcgeady
Go on the irish
Ireland never beat anyone below us in the rankings but under martin we have beat germany 2,bosina 20,swiss 12,usa 28,drew with england in 2 years
Yeah but they sent Forrester back to England without giving him a chance in a game and Byrne was left with the u21s. Both of those players are much more comfortable in possession than Meyler or Quinn, two players we’ve seen loads of times already. Wasted opportunity. Duffy was class in defence though. That back five could be the first choice for many years to come, after O Shea retires that is.
Jersey is also muck
Especially on McLean. Just unbutton the collar man!!
Is Trap back in charge….that was dire to watch….luckily I could change the channel
It wasn’t that bad man . It was a little disjointed which is normal in a game like this with so many substitutions and new faces. I’ve seen us play a lot worse . A LOT worse.
Do you remember us playing under trap away to Cyprus ? Now that was bad. Unwatchable . I changed the channel periodically that day. I felt guilty but I did it lol
Was it not under Staunton, the Cypriot game?
It was almost a “Staunton out” match. I think Steven Ireland’s grannies were still alive as he saved the day.
It was horrendous stuff. In fairness Switzerland were desperate, made no effort whatsoever to have a go at the Irish back four. Ireland were happy to sit off them and defend the goal lead. It all made for dreadful watching. The atmosphere died after 10 mins. Shame about Doyler, he was lively enough up until the injury. The service was terrible though. We only have two players capable of putting their foot on the ball and they both came off the bench tonight. That’s a worry Slovakia will be a better test for us. Switzerland look rudderless without Shaqiri.
That was the 5-2 defeat. We got Cyprus again under trap. The away game we won 2-1 but it was possibly the worst game of football I’ve ever seen. I sat and watched the 0-0′s against lechenstein and Iceland etc but that game was just atrocious.
A win is a win.. But Kevin Doyle’s injury is worrying
Kevindoyle will be ok he gets $24,000 a week in Colorado. He’ll be ok
What sport was this in?
The kissing game….. SOCCER
The only truly global sport, Janders, go back to your wrestling with a ball sport
Was looking forward to seeing the ‘Irish Messi’ perform, instead we got the ‘Irish El Hadji Diouf.
Not a great game for the neutrals.