Euro 2024 qualifiers: Gibraltar v Republic of Ireland, Monday, Estádio Algarve, Faro 7.45pm (Live on RTÉ Two)
Evan Ferguson will probably score a hat-trick against the Gibraltar part-timers to allow the Republic of Ireland spring into Amsterdam next month. And, somehow, finish this campaign in style.
Or these grim days could become the worst of times.
Not many Irish people care to remember the 1972 European Championships qualification campaign. It started with a Tommy Carroll goal at Dalymount Park before Dan Brzokoupil salvaged a draw for Sweden. Not another Ireland point was gathered in the race to reach Belgium ‘72 as Italy topped the group and Austria pulverised the minnows 6-0 in Linz.
If not now, when will Gibraltar win a qualifier game?
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Another Uruguayan manager eyeballs Stephen Kenny tonight as Julio Ribas brands this match, at the neutral Portuguese venue, “a final”. Having lost all seven internationals in 2023, including the 3-0 Dublin defeat in June, the 66-year-old knows that with France and the Netherlands to follow in November, this is the chance to create history.
Gibraltar have never won a European Championship or World Cup qualifier. In fact, they have only eight victories from 81 internationals. Two less than Kenny’s Ireland managed from 37 outings in three years.
Unable to play at home, as the Victoria stadium is getting a £100 million makeover, Gibraltar bring Ireland back to the scene of their most agonising end-game since the manager replaced Mick McCarthy in 2020.
It felt like the worm had turned on September 1st, 2021 when John Egan’s header secured a 1-0 lead over Portugal just before half-time. Cristiano Ronaldo intervened, with late headed goals, to beat Ireland.
”We have put in an incredible high performance environment behind the scenes now, in all areas,” Stephen Kenny said. “Medical, sports science, statistical analysis that’s on a par with anything,” Stephen Kenny claimed.
“When the players come and speak positively, it is not loyalty to me, it is because they know it is an exceptional high performance environment.”
“What we have fallen down on,” he continued, “and it’s on me as a coach, is we have let goals in in key times of matches when we’re right in the game.
“Other teams have just been more ruthless than us in our group. We could have finished third ahead of Greece but they showed they are a good team. They were more ruthless than us the other night and that’s a disappointment.
“But you can’t let that infiltrate the squad because we’ve such a quick turnaround. We have to finish strongly tomorrow, for this camp, and get the victory we need against Gibraltar. It is an important game for us to get back on track. They have proven that nothing comes easy in these games. You have no divine right and you have to go earn it. We have to do that tomorrow.”
Total collapse is the fear that surrounds Ireland now. All the evidence from Friday’s 2-0 loss to Greece at the Aviva Stadium indicates a group of players short on the essentials – belief and stubbornness – needed to secure results.
It means the unthinkable has to be factored into this meeting. Gibraltar are a collection of semi-pros, students and even a customs officer, who know that Irish morale in on the floor.
“It is not easy balancing my education with my football,” said Evan De Haro, the University of Central Lancashire student and international midfielder.
“But I try to make time for both, my studies and football. It requires a lot of commitment but it has been good to be here representing my country.”
Gibraltar have only reached half-time at 0-0 in two previous qualifiers, both against Ireland, in 2019 and last June. In the latter, it took Mikey Johnston 52 minutes to break the deadlock against the team rated 201st in the world, who have since climbed to 198.
It is easy to remember the late goals in Ireland’s only win in Group B by Ferguson and Adam Idah. There were more people in the Aviva that evening than the entire population of Gibraltar (32,669) yet it took several formation and tactical switches before the dam broke.
Ribas is expected to set up two banks of five defenders, a system that prompted Nathan Collins to step into the libero role, as three centre halves was an needless luxury, only to find nobody willing to play tiki-taka football. The goals were eventually engineered by a deflected Will Smallbone free-kick and two James McClean crosses.
McClean has been cut loose while Collins was hauled off against Greece the other night so Kenny could make way for Ryan Manning, a full back that the manager was hesitant to include in his squad until recently.
None of the decisions make much sense anymore. Certainty, like Ireland beating Gibraltar, has forsaken this team. A paltry crowd of 3,300 is expected.
Gibraltar: Coleing (Lincoln); Sergeant (Lincoln), Chipolina (Glacis United), Bernardo Lopes (Lincoln), Annesley (Dundalk), Olivero (Europa); Ronan (Lincoln), Pozo (Cádiz), Hartman (Loughborough University), Britto (Lincoln); El Hmidi (St Joseph’s).
Ireland (possible): Bazunu (Southampton); Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Duffy (Norwich City), Collins (Brentford), Manning (Southampton); Cullen (Burnley), Browne (Preston North End); Ogbene (Luton Town), Smallbone (Southampton), Knight (Bristol City); Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Referee: Christian-Petru Ciochirca (Austria).
