MY ACCOUNT
Ireland earned their first Nations League victory at the 13th attempt by beating Scotland 3-0 at the Aviva Stadium.
The Boys in Green dominated the opening stages and got their reward in the 20th minute when Alan Browne tapped in Shane Duffy’s flick-on.
Stephen Kenny’s side doubled their lead just eight minutes later as Troy Parrott headed Michael Obafemi’s lobbed ball past Craig Gordon in the Scotland goal.
The hosts rounded off a superb performance with Obafemi’s stunning long-distance strike six minutes into the second half.
We take a look at five key talking points from the Boys in Green’s emphatic victory.
Marvellous Michael
After a superb end to the season, there was surprise among some Irish fans that Obafemi had been excluded from the starting line-up for their last two games against Armenia and Ukraine.
However, the striker more than staked his claim for a spot in the future with a stunning performance against the Tartan Army.
Obafemi, 21, lead the line superbly and caused the Scottish back-line numerous headaches with his ghosting runs.
This was evident for the second goal as he dropped deep to collect the ball before playing an inch-perfect chipped pass over the defence to set up Parrott.
And the Swansea striker capped off a brilliant afternoon with an emphatic strike from distance to record his first international goal.
Pressure cooker
The build-up to today’s match was dominated by questions over Kenny’s future in the managerial hotseat.
The Boys in Green came into this fixture with just two wins in 17 competitive games under the former Ireland Under-21 manager.
It appeared that the hosts’ Nations League hopes had already dissipated after defeats to Armenia and Ukraine in their two previous matches.
But Kenny’s side dismissed any fears by producing a captivating win to climb above their opponents in Group B1.
Young guns
The future appears bright for Ireland as Kenny’s outfit looked more than capable of competing on the big stage.
The hosts’ starting line-up featured just two players aged 30 or above, while six of the side that started were 23 and under.
While Kenny managed many of his charges in his previous role as U-21 manager, he has created a clear pathway into the senior squad.
The former Dundalk manager has handed senior debuts to 16 players since taking the senior role in September 2020.
Strike duo Parrott and Obafemi are aged just 20 and 21, yet bullied the Scottish rear-guard with their cunning and link-up play.
Scotland slump
It was a dismal performance from Steve Clarke’s side as they became the first visiting nation to lose a competitive game at the Aviva Stadium in over three years.
The Tartan Army are more than aware of the significance of the Nations League, as they used it as a route to the European Championships last year.
But the Scots — still sore from their recent World Cup playoff defeat to Ukraine — were out-fought in Dublin.
The visitors needed a big performance to get over that loss, yet Clarke’s outfit were blunt as they failed to test Caoimhin Kelleher in the Ireland goal.
Scotland looked vulnerable every time their opponents flooded forward and only avoided conceding a fourth goal due to a VAR check.
Robertson remarks
The away side looked dejected as they trudged off the pitch at full-time — and that feeling was matched by the travelling support.
The Tartan Army made their feelings clear after the game with Scottish captain Andy Robertson having sympathy for them.
He said: “It wasn’t good enough. And that’s the second time in 10 days we’ve said that and it’s not like us.
“We’ve let our manager down. He set us up to play a certain way and we’ve not carried it out. Every one of us lost our individual battles out there.
“The fans behind the goal booing us off were completely right to do that. It was nowhere near good enough in a Scotland jersey.”
It is back to the drawing board for Clarke’s side, and Tuesday’s clash with Ukraine has suddenly become vital.
