Euro 2024 qualifier, Group B: France 2 (Tchouaméni 19, M Thuram 48) Republic of Ireland 0
After this chastising but hardly unexpected defeat for the Republic of Ireland at Parc des Princes, an eternal Samuel Beckett line drifted the six kilometres west from his tomb in Montparnasse.
“Where I am, I don’t know, I’ll never know, in the silence you don’t know, you must go on, I can’t go on, I’ll go on.”
Ireland must go on. They must go home and somehow beat the Netherlands on Sunday night or the brave, yet stuttering Stephen Kenny era will run out of road long before the serious business of qualifying for Germany 2024 is decided.
At least the 1,700 travelling supporters inside this concrete bowl got their money’s worth. They witnessed enough moments of genius from a cranky Kylian Mbappé. And they saw one of the immortal international football teams in full flow, with sparkling goals from Aurélien Tchouaméni and Marcus Thuram coming in all too familiar circumstances.
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This result was expected, and not overly consequential. France are out of sight in Group B, amassing five wins from five, scoring 11 goals and conceding none as they glide into next summer’s European Championships.
It is the Dutch in Dublin that demand a monumental response at a packed Aviva stadium. Stranger things have happened, but Ronald Koeman has revived his country men, with an impressive 3-0 defeat of Greece in Eindhoven tonight.
Nothing short of a famous victory will suffice for Kenny, Ireland and the FAI.
It was 28 degrees at kick-off and the French never stopped shovelling coal into the furnace.
Kenny can and will point to the positives. His team kept it simple, adopting a 5-4-1 system as Jason Knight and Chiedozie Ogbene pressed high, the latter joining Adam Idah up top when the opportunity presented itself.
The opportunity stopped presenting itself in the 19th minute when Tchouaméni, the outstanding performer on the night, smacked Ireland with another long-range gut punch.
It is the 11th goal Kenny’s team have conceded from outside the box since 2021. During that period, they have coughed up 27 goals in total.
Mbappé turned provider, in a contained first-half of decoy runs from the 24-year-old that prompted Ousmane Dembélé to go ballistic down the right flank, as the PSG winger toyed with Enda Stevens to the point of cruelty.
Stevens, who took a knock, was replaced by James McClean at the break.
The opening goal was all about Tchouaméni, but the chance was created by Dembélé's cross being cleared by Nathan Collins to Mbappé. He had Ogbene closing and so opted to tee up Tchouaméni. The Real Madrid midfielder leaned back and curved his effort beyond Gavin Bazunu into the far side netting.
The threat of what was to come was evident from Adrien Rabiot’s early, low strike that Bazunu easily gathered. And Mbappé tested Irish plans by appearing as an inside left attacker, which allowed Theo Hernández storm down the left and cut back for Olivier Giroud whose shot was blocked by Egan for a corner.
The household names were everywhere. Marcus Thuram replaced the injured Giroud after the veteran striker got hurt in a tangle with Egan. Inter Milan for AC Milan. Ireland boasted four Premier League and seven EFL Championship players versus a Champions League XI, giving credence to Liam Brady’s parting shot on RTÉ, when he branded them the “worst group of Irish players that any manager has had in my lifetime.”
With Evan Ferguson and Séamus Coleman both recovering from knee issues, that Brady line is beginning to stick.
Ireland lacked a focal point, someone to grab hold of possession and push the tempo. Ogbene was game but the Irish midfield’s inability to retain possession or stop Jayson Molumby’s addiction to lateral passing was glaring and constant.
Even Idah, a goalscorer by trade, hesitated when gifted a one-on-one with Lucas Hernández not long after Thuram made it 2-0.
Instead of dropping the shoulder and creating a shot, Idah stalled before turning for McClean to pick out Ogbene at the back post. Mike Maignan made a fine save from a weak header.
Thuram’s goal came three minutes into the second half after Antoine Griezmann and Hernández cut the Irish back five to pieces before Mbappé's blocked shot was followed up and finished with aplomb.
Mbappé was hardly having a quiet night. Twice the world’s best player could see the whites of Bazunu’s eyes but twice the linesman saved Ireland. Bazunu was blessed as the first shot went straight through the Southampton goalkeeper’s body.
The rest of the contest was damage limitation. A dangerous place for any team to find themselves against the French, especially in suffocating Paris conditions.
It could have been a humiliation. France looked like they could score at will but they kept trying to walk the ball into Bazunu’s net. Mbappé drew a fine stop from the young goalie as Les Bleus kept chiselling away at Ireland’s well-organised shape. So solid that counter attacking with purpose was never part of the process.
Home to Dublin so, hoping for a Dutch miracle to save Kenny’s time in charge from mediocrity.
Ireland: Bazunu (Southampton); Browne (Preston North End), Collins (Brentford), Duffy (Norwich City), Egan (Sheffield United), Stevens (Stoke City); Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Cullen (Burnley), Knight (Bristol City), Ogbene (Luton Town); Idah (Norwich City). Substitutes: McClean (Wrexham) for Stevens (half-time), Keane (Preston North End) for Idah, O’Shea (Burnley) for Molumby (both 67), Connolly (Hull City) for Kean (78), Ebosele for Ogbene (84).
France: Maignan (AC Milan); Koundé (Barcelona), Upamecano (Bayern Munich), L Hernández (Paris Saint Germain), T Hernández (AC Milan); Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Rabiot (Juventus); Dembéle (Barcelona), Griezmann (Atlético Madrid), Mbappé (Paris Saint Germain); Giroud (AC Milan). Substitutes: M Thuram (Inter Milan) for Giroud (26), Coman (Bayern Munich) for Dembele, Saliba (Arsenal) for L Hernández (both 72) , Pavard (Inter Milan) for Koundé, Camavinga (Real Madrid) for Griezmann (both 89).
Referee: Urs Schnyder (Switzerland).
