Ireland Scrape Home Win

Ireland 1 Cyprus 0

A SINGLE goal was enough to clinch three points for Ireland in this Group Eight World Cup qualifier against Cyprus at Croke Park last Wednesday,

but new boss Giovanni Trapattoni lived very dangerously in what was a pretty forgettable game.

Damien Duff's artistry set up Robbie Keane for a simple header after just four minutes, and it proved the only goal of the game although both sides went on to create clear-cut chances.

Trapattoni's big gamble was to play an inexperienced holding pair in the center of midfield. Glenn Whelan and Darren Gibson held down the middle while Duff and Aiden McGeady offered width.

It was great to see two wingers on view, but as the game wore on Cyprus began to dominate possession. Whelan and Gibson were forced into purely defensive roles, and Ireland's midfield was overrun for long stretches of the second half.

What was most puzzling was the Irish manager's reluctance to make a

tactical change. As in Montenegro, he opted against bringing in fresh legs late on when several players -- particularly McGeady -- looked burnt out. The bench offered a few options -- Stephen Hunt, Andy Reid or Liam Miller -- but he stuck with the starting eleven until Caleb Folan was introduced well into injury time. And he got away with it, thanks to a fortunate reflex stop by Shay Given and two immense blocks by Richard Dunne. In the end Ireland survived, but despite a genuine effort by each individual player this was no assured team performance.

By playing a 4-4-2 formation that frequently resembled 4-2-4, there was a lack of balance to the team. Keane dropped deep and Kevin Doyle was often left stranded up front with nobody in support to follow up his knock-ons.

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Nster.com