36 minutes ago
9:51PM
That’s that.
The 1-0 result suggests it was close but in truth, Netherlands were the far superior team this evening.
Bazunu was comfortably the standout player and kept Ireland in the game until the end.
The game in many ways summed up the worst parts of the Kenny era — Ireland were too casual and error-prone at the back.
And down the other end, it felt as if the visitors could have been playing all night and still not scored, so poor was their play in the final third.
The Netherlands weren’t especially impressive either — they were missing some key players and looked there for the taking.
The Dutch were also perhaps a little complacent owing to the carnivalesque atmosphere in the stadium with the team on the verge of qualifying.
But ultimately, Ireland couldn’t capitalise amid another tepid display, which unfortunately have become far too commonplace in recent years.
