Uefa Nations League B2: England 3 Republic of Ireland 0
From Andy Watters at Wembley
IT was fun while the resistance lasted but England eventually broke through and then tore Ireland apart to ruin what – until the 53rd minute – was an enjoyable night for Irish fans.
Three goals and a red card for Liam Scales in a crazy five-minute spell undid all of Ireland’s battling man-the-barricades work in the first half. They had reached the break level and were looking increasingly solid and confident but against a star-studded team like England, one mistake can change the game.
Ireland were always going to be up against it but manager Heimar Hallgrimsson pushed Nathan Collins into midfield and his plan worked well in the first half.
The Boys in Green had to survive a torrid first 15 minutes though.
Noni Madueke saw a lot of the ball early on and Kyle Walker’s pass over the top sent him scampering into the space behind Ireland’s back line. The ball fizzed off the wet turf and scooted out but it was an early warning for the Irish defence.
Ireland barely got a touch in the first four minutes and when they did they immediately found themselves in serious trouble.
Josh Cullen was closed down and Madueke burst into the box. He flashed in a cross/shot that Kelleher kicked away and the ball broke to Curtis Jones as the edge of the box. He hammered in a shot that was deflected over the bar by Collins.
Walker met the corner at the near post but his header flashed over the bar – he should have done better.
Festy Ebosele had a mazey forward break up the right wing but the pressure continued as Jude Bellingham released Anthony Gordon but Collins was quickly across to block the Newcastle winger’s shot.
Cullen (twice) and Sammie Szmodics gave the ball away too cheaply and Scales had to time his tackle carefully as Bellingham threatened on the edge of the box. Another corner and again Walker got his head on it but the ball drifted wide.
The Irish fans roared a joyous ‘Ole, Ole…’ as Ireland caught their breath and kept the ball after a torrid first 15 minutes and they roared louder when Ebosele was denied a free-kick after a lung-busting run from Ireland’s box to the edge of England’s.
Ferguson didn’t get any hearing from the referee either after he out-sprinted Marc Guehi to a through ball and was upended in the box but the midway point of the half came with the Boys in Green looking, if not comfortable, at least more settled.
Collins cleared one ball, Scales the next as England continued to dominate possession and Madueke almost wriggled through after one two with debutant Tino Livramento.
Ireland kept England honest at the other end. Jayson Molumby almost released Szmodics with a raking pass but Walker bravely dived in to get his head to the ball as the Ipswich frontman gathered himself to shoot.
There wasn’t that much to shout about for the Ireland fans but they found their voice when warriorlike Scales took out the ball and Harry Kane with a full-blooded tackle and then fired-up Ireland broke in numbers for the first time.
Callum O’Dowda was brought down on the edge of the box and Madueke and Bellingham’s bookings were a sign of England’s growing frustration. Kane’s name also went into the book before the half ended scoreless and the Republic, of course, would have taken that.
The second half started like the first had, with Ireland penned into their own box and fighting for their lives.
For eight minutes they kept the home side at bay and then, after all their good work it was a mistake that undermined them.
McGuinness, growing in confidence, came out of a tackle with the ball and played it to Molumby. However, indecision between the pair of them allowed Kane to nip in. He pinged a diagonal ball to Bellingham at the edge of the box and the Real Madrid forward was brought down by Scales.
A second yellow saw Scales (he’s been booked in the first half for delaying a free-kick) dismissed and Kane sent Kelleher the wrong way as the floated the penalty high to his left.
Ireland were still coming to terms with that hammerblow when Livramento whipped in a cross from the right. Collins stabbed it away but the ball hit Cullen and fell to Gordon who thumped a first-time finish past Kelleher.
There was more to come. A couple of minutes later Madueke’s corner was met by Geuhi at the near post and Gallagher was at the back post to force it into the net for the third goal in a horrific five-minute spell for Ireland.
With hope of a result gone, the confidence and poise drained out of the shell-shocked men in green and space opened up as they retreated deeper and tried to see the game out.
But the Three Lions were hungry. The gulf in quality was underlined when interim England manager Lee Carsley threw in three more Premier League stars and one of them, West Ham’s Jared Bowen, hammered the fourth goal home after the Irish defence failed to read Bellingham’s free-kick.
Bellingham was the creator of the fifth too. Taylor Harwood-Bellis marked his debut with a goal and the final whistle was blessed relief for Ireland on a chastening night in London.
England: Pickford; Livramento, Walker, Guehi, Hall; Gallagher, Jones; Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane
Subs: T Harwood-Bellis for Walker (62), M Rogers for Gordon (75), D Solanki for Gallagher (75), J Bowen for Madueke (75), A Gomes for Jones (79)
Yellow cards: Bellingham (23), Madueke (23), Kane (46)
Republic of Ireland: Kelleher; D O’Shea, M McGuinness, L Scales, N Collins, C O’Dowda; F Ebosele; J Cullen, J Molumby; S Szmodics, E Ferguson
Subs: R Manning for Ebosele (66), F Azaz for O’Dowda (66), T Parrot for Ferguson (66), A Moran for Cullen (76), K McAteer for Szmodics (86)
Yellow cards: Scales (35&51), Molumby (46), O’Shea (84)
Red card: Scales (51)
Referee: E Lambrechts (Belgium)
Attendance: 79,969
