For the Republic of Ireland’s first match in Dublin since the death of Jack Charlton, the stadium was festooned with banners paying tribute to the country’s most successful manager. But this was also the first home game of Stephen Kenny, who aims to bring similar results but with an entirely different style. Maybe he can take encouragement from the fact that Charlton also lost his first match in Dublin 1-0. There was little else about a dreary encounter to gladden Irish hearts.
The only goal of Charlton’s first game was scored by Wales’s Ian Rush; Kenny’s men were beaten by a substitute in a hurry, Fredrik Jensen netting 18 seconds after coming off Finland’s bench. The visitors could have won by more.
Kenny stuck with eight of the players who started in Bulgaria but changed all three of his midfielders, bringing in Robbie Brady and Harry Arter as well as giving a senior debut to Brighton’s Jayson Molumby. None of the three newcomers did enough to suggest they will displace Conor Hourihane, Jeff Hendrick and James McCarthy for next month’s Euro 2020 play-off against Slovakia.
“Controlling matches is very important to me,” Kenny said before kick-off but Finland made the more commanding start. They should have taken the lead in the ninth minute when Robert Taylor, a Finn with an English father, found the same sort of gap in midfield that Bulgaria exploited for their goal on Thursday. He threaded a pass through to Teemu Pukki, who was thwarted by smart goalkeeping by Darren Randolph.
Ireland responded quickly. After a good run down the right and a decent cross by Callum O’Dowda, the ball found Arter, who forced Lukas Hradecky into action with a reasonable shot from 25 yards. But that was all that the Finland goalkeeper had to do in a dismal first half.
Ireland tried to pass progressively but struggled to find fluency in what, understandably, often resembled a pre-season warm-up. Enda Stevens and Aaron Connolly hinted at menace down the left without really hurting the Finnish defence. Adam Idah, the 19-year-old Norwich forward again chosen to lead the line, got almost no useful service and made little impact. David McGoldrick had more effect in a late appearance off the bench.
Finland, more compact and coherent than Ireland, could have taken the lead in the 22nd minute but Juhani Ojala headed wide from a corner.
At least Ireland’s players seem committed to their new manager’s vision: they did not lose patience and they mustered more intensity in the second half. Brady, whose passing mostly disappointed, won the ball well before feeding Idah, who helped it on to Connolly. The striker bustled his way into the box and lashed a shot into the side-netting.
Ireland fell behind to an easily avoidable goal. Finland profited from confusion in midfield to slip the ball through to Taylor, who sent a low pass across the face of goal. Jensen pulled away from Stevens at the back post to prod the ball home with his first touch.
Two substitutes almost combined for an equaliser three minutes later, Callum Robinson forcing the Finland defence into a mistake before McGoldrick had a shot charged down. Matt Doherty created an even better chance for Robinson moments later but Hradecky saved the forward’s so-so shot. Taylor, Pukki and Ahlo missed chances to increase Finland’s margin of victory before Shane Duffy had an opportunity to stage another late rescue act for Ireland but headed over from a corner.
Ireland grasped for positives. “The more we work with this manager, the best will come out of us,” Brady said. That manager, meanwhile, said: “The ability to take chances is the critical thing. For us the bigger picture is Slovakia. We need to increase our attacking options for that. Some players did quite well. This gives us real food for thought, that’s for sure.”
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