“IT’S been a challenging period for everyone.”
So started the half-time announcement over the tannoy.
Who are you telling?
The announcer was, of course, referring to Covid-19 with supporters back in the Aviva Stadium for an Ireland game for the first time since November 2019.
But he may as well have been alluding to what unfolded both before or after the break or, indeed, Stephen Kenny’s reign in its entirety.
There is a recurring theme developing here, whereby we get glimpses of where Kenny is looking to bring this team but fall short of a big result against good opposition.
And, asked to back it up against more modest teams, they are simply incapable of doing so.
It happened in March when a narrow 3-2 defeat away to Serbia was followed by a 1-0 loss here to Luxembourg.
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And, now, it has occurred again.
Only an 87th-minute goal against Azerbaijan prevented Ireland from falling to the bottom of Group A midway through the qualifying campaign.
Shane Duffy has scored five times for Ireland and the most recent three have been equalisers in the final five minutes of matches.
The more Kenny tries to change things, the more they seem to stay the same.
A man who gave Longford Town, Derry City and Dundalk supporters the time of their lives has not yet done enough to suggest his team can match his lofty ambitions.
SO FRUSTRATING
We could all do with some more concrete evidence to say his methods are working.
Because, at the moment, watching this team is like watching someone trying to house-train a puppy.
They think they have cracked it and then discover their sofa is ruined.
With Serbia beating Luxembourg yesterday, Ireland are now nine points adrift of both Dragan Stojkovic’s side and Portugal with four games left to play.
None of us will need to trouble our conscience about whether it would be ethical to participate in the World Cup finals in Qatar.
WHAT WE NEED TO SEE
That does not mean the second half of the campaign is meaningless. Quite the contrary.
We need to see enough from Kenny and his players to be convinced that they are worth sticking with.
Starting with Serbia on Tuesday, Ireland need to start delivering consistently and at the very least overhaul Luxembourg to finish third in the group.
Anything else simply will not cut it. The smattering of boos which greeted the final whistle made that clear if it was not so already.
The dejection of those leaving the ground was in sharp contrast to the anticipation beforehand as a crowd headed to Lansdowne Road for a football international for the first time in almost two years.
BRIGHT START
That initial optimism was buoyed by an enterprising start from the Boys in Green in the opening ten minutes.
Perhaps enthused by playing in front of home supporters again, Ireland had real intent and invention.
Several times, John Egan produced effortless cross-field passes which were a long way from the diet of finding row Z on which my generation was reared.
Josh Cullen picked up where he had left off on Wednesday, knocking the ball around with ease and floating it perfectly towards Matt Doherty whose header was off target.
It was not the only chance either, with Aaron Connolly missing after good work by Adam Idah as Ireland sought an early advantage.
And then it stopped.
VISITORS GREW IN CONFIDENCE
Yes, there were other opportunities like when Jayson Molumby curled a shot wide or when Idah headed off target, with Connolly having teed up both of them.
But the momentum was gone, the swagger had disappeared and, not surprisingly, Azerbaijan began to realise they might have weathered the storm.
They did not create a lot, although Namik Alaskarov did test Gavin Bazunu with a shot from distance.
Then again, they did not have to, as they were presumably happy with how they were becoming more comfortable in the game.
It seemed as though almost everyone in the stadium had decided nothing further of note was going to happen before the break.
Around the 38th minute, fans started streaming down the staircases, all with the same idea of beating the queues to the toilets or food concessions.
SWITCHED OFF
And when it was said over the speakers that a minute of added injury-time would be played, it was as if the Ireland defenders had already started heading for the dressing room, too.
They may as well have done because nobody showed any inclination to close down, let alone try to nick the ball off, Emin Makhmudov just outside the area.
Encouraged by their indecision and indifference, he smacked it into the top corner.
Having recorded the worst defeat in Ireland’s history against Luxembourg in March, it looked as if this team seemed intent on providing a rival to it.
SOLE HALF-TIME CHANGE
Decisive action was needed at the break. The only change at that point saw Daryl Horgan brought on for his fellow Galwegian Connolly.
At first, the Wycombe Wanderers winger injected some fresh impetus — as did fellow substitute Callum Robinson when he was later introduced.
But they soon got drawn into the general panic which seemed to be paralysing this side.
There were far too many basic errors. More than once the ball went out of play on the far side when it looked easier to find a team-mate.
Balls were pumped into the box without first checking if there was anyone capable of getting on the end of the deliveries.
Azerbaijan were out on their feet but Ireland still looked incapable of finding a way past them with another sub, Conor Hourihane, unable to provide the sort of threat that Kenny would have wanted from him.
Another attacking player, James Collins, was introduced but, ultimately, it was Ireland’s most reliable offensive weapon, a nuts-and-bolts defender, who provided the leveller.
TOUGH TIME
Cullen’s excellent ball in — his last act before he was withdrawn — was superbly met by the head of Duffy.
Not unlike on Wednesday, the home side’s best header of the ball had dragged themselves level in the closing stages.
But Duffy is no Ronaldo.
There was no follow-up act, though there were chances.
And, so, this continues to be a challenging period for everyone.
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