By the end, it was hard to imagine how the opening week of Martin O’Neill’s tenure could have gone better. Life infused back into the Ireland set-up, the makings of a crowd – if not quite a crowd just yet – back in the Aviva and a 3-0 win tucked away. The goals came from Robbie Keane, Aiden McGeady and Shane Long – the curtain pulled up, the music started.
Before we go anywhere, the caveats. Steve Staunton’s reign started with a 3-0 win over a Sweden team that had far more going for it than the Latvian one who turned up in the Aviva last night.
O'Neill warned us afterwards his side won't always be able to play the ball around with the ease they had last night. For all that, he couldn't have asked for much more.
Sterner tests
"I'm delighted," he said. "Delighted with the team, delighted with the performance. I accept the fact that there are sterner tests ahead, of course we know that. There's one on Tuesday night.
“But it was nice to win and we played some lovely football as well. And the crowd were terrific, so it was an exhilarating evening for us.
“The first goal was important, regardless of how we set out. . . When we got back down to it again, then we were absolutely fine. We scored three goals and we could have scored a few more.
“So overall, delighted with the team. We tried to press a wee bit further up the pitch so that the players in our team who can really play – and we have a one or two who can definitely do that – wouldn’t have too far to go to the opposition goal.”
And in more good news for O’Neill, Romania’s loss to Greece in last night’s World Cup play-off first leg should mean that Ireland will be second seeds for the qualifying stages of Euro 2016.
Latvia played like they knew their role, the play-dead tomato can lined up build confidence for the road ahead. They stood off, they half-tackled, they had no higher purpose in mind than limiting the damage.
Apart from a brief spell of defiance at the beginning of the second half, they presented no challenge. That they finished the night with just two attempts on goal tells its own story.
That Ireland finished with 20 tells an encouraging tale too. The side O’Neill sent out was full of intent and brio, with speed on the wings in James McClean and Aiden McGeady and craft inside in James McCarthy and Wes Hoolahan.
Andy Reid made an appearance for the last half an hour as well. Pick any cause célèbre you like from the Trap years and they got handed the reins at some point. At times it looked like a game that had been put on especially for McCarthy. He won't find a team better set up to showcase his set of skills this side of his testimonial.
Sweet-spot volley
He could have had a goal of his own a minute in, a sweet-spot volley from a half-cleared corner catching John O'Shea when it looked destined for the net.
No matter. He played the rest of the game as if it had arrowed into the top corner. Every touch was sure, every pass precise. If O’Neill’s teams are going to set up with a player like Hoolahan – it might not be him who gets handed the role – then McCarthy is going to have to be the fulcrum. As auditions go, there was nothing to dislike here.
McGeady and McClean were enjoying themselves throughout as well, the Latvian reluctance to commit anyone forward giving both of them the night off from defensive duties.
They combined for the first goal, McGeady’s corner perfectly flicked on at the front post by McClean, with Keane on hand to tuck home from six yards out. It was Keane’s eighth goal in nine games for Ireland in 2013 and pushed his record total for Ireland up with 62.
The high-pressing, harrying style O’Neill had spoken of in the build-up was much in evidence. McCarthy’s smart tackle in midfield a minute after Keane’s goal released the Ireland captain for what ought to have been a second. With players converging, however, Keane’s shot drew a smart save from the keeper low to his left.
Despite their dominance, it took Ireland until halfway through the second half to kill the game off. Again, fevered pressing from McClean and Glenn Whelan drew a hurried pass from the Latvian centre-back Jurius Laizans and McGeady had time to take three touches on the edge of the box before daisy-cutting the second goal into the bottom corner.
Slick move
After O'Neill cleared the bench, the third duly arrived with Reid, Jon Walters and Séamus Coleman involved in a slick move down the right-hand side before the full back crossed for Shane Long to tap home. Game over. Change of mood.
“I can’t tell because I don’t know what happened before,” said O’Neill when asked if he could see the players’ enthusiasm returning. “But I have no doubt that we have a squad full of players here who want to play for their country and do well for their country.
“One or two lads remarked that tonight was play-off night and they were disappointed not to be there. McClean was Man of the Match and I wouldn’t disagree with that. He was playing with confidence because he knows that I have confidence in him.”
In time, the nation might well have confidence in O’Neill’s team too. If that’s a journey of a thousand miles, this was no bad single step.
