5 days ago
Late Sarr goal denies Ireland win at home to Senegal
Republic of Ireland 1
Senegal 1
ANOTHER 1-1 DRAW for Ireland's bulging chronicles, then, though this was one to file under the 'mildly disappointing' heading.
Facing a headily-rated but under-strength Senegal, Ireland maintained the momentum of their winning March to take a first-half lead through Kasey McAteer, but settled for a draw after Ismalia Sarr finally breached an Irish goal hitherto guarded by the lithe and brilliant Caoimhín Kelleher.
Though Ireland were ultimately denied a first win against top 20-ranked opponents since October 2017, their momentum remains unchecked going into Tuesday's friendly in Luxembourg, their last piece of cramming before the World Cup exam begins in September.
Heimir Hallgrimsson hyped Senegal pre-game by simply pointing to their results: an unbeaten run of 20 games and just one defeat in 30 games stretching back to the 2022 World Cup.
Ireland did not face that Senegal team tonight, however, with Pape Thiaw keeping his most recognisable names in cold storage. His selection gave rise to a rare instance in which Ireland could claim to be the grizzled veterans: the starting Irish XI collectively held 112 caps more than Senegal's.
Ireland also indulged a more recent bit of experience, replicating their tactical set-up from the March double-header against Bulgaria. Ireland were arranged in a standard 4-4-2 2 without the ball, but morphed into a more adventurous 3-4-2-1 when they had it, with Robbie Brady pushing on and Kasey McAteer – making his first start for Ireland – dropping back to play at wing-back in the choreography.
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Adam Idah got a chance to impress from the start: he was given the task of running in behind to stretch the Senegalese defence as Ryan Manning and Jack Taylor tucked infield to play in the half-spaces and knit attacks. Manning also had the licence to occasionally drop deep and help Ireland with their build-up play, while Taylor was told to follow in Idah's slipstream and crash the box.
The width of Ireland's play caused Senegal all manner of headaches early in the game, with McAteer left in baffling isolation. Dara O'Shea's regal passing from centre-back proved the link. It was from one of these lonely sojourns early in the game that McAteer picked out Taylor unmarked in the box, only for Taylor to flick his head goalwards and miss the ball entirely.
Ireland, though, continued to dominate the game against sleepy opponents, and another switch to McAteer ended with the ball breaking to Will Smallbone, who skewed a volley wide from the edge of the box.
Ireland's goal deservedly followed shortly after. Smallbone whipped a corner to the back post that O'Shea took off Doherty's head, but as they went through their agonised gestures to each other, Manning brilliantly flicked the ball back into the penalty first-time. Nathan Collins rose highest to flick the ball toward goal, with McAteer following in to see a point-blank header acrobatically saved by Yehvann Diouf. McAteer, however, reacted quickly to the rebound and with a control-and-swivel he lashed the ball into the net.
Senegal belatedly joined the party and hogged possession as the first half dwindled to a close, albeit without creating anything. Ireland were simply outworking them, and Taylor's industry should have yielded a second Irish goal within a couple of minutes of the restart. Taylor robbed possession in the attacking third and the ball was quickly fed to Smallbone, whose snapshot was parried by Diouf into the path of Manning, whose follow-up was blocked and diverted for a corner.
Senegal reacted by finally upping their palliative tempo, and when Krepin Diatta timed his run into the box to perfection and rose highest to meet a deep cross, it took a stunning, airborne save by Caoimhín Kelleher to flick the ball on to the underside of the bar and to ultimate safety. It was a magnificent save made all the more impressive by the fact it was the first thing he had had to do all night.
Kelleher takes to the skies. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
He would have much more to do. When a shot from the edge of the box skimmed off Collins and then bumped off O'Shea, the ball spun off the inside of the post and was heading into the net until Kelleher, on his knees, reacted to push the ball away.
But as both managers emptied their benches, Senegal grew gradually stronger, with Ismalia Sarr of Crystal Palace among those sprung into action. And it was Sarr who eventually forced Senegal's slightly freakish equaliser. Illiam Ndiyae ghosted past the freshly-introduced Andrew Moran too equaliser and whipped a low cross into the box that bounced off two Irish defenders and was hooked goalwards by another substitute, Cherif Ndiaye. Kelleher's lightning reactions meant he kept the ball out, starfish style, with his left foot, but Sarr then reacted to squeeze the ball over the line. It was an equaliser Senegal deserved but was scruffy nontheless. Hardly a goal to, er, Ndiaye for.
There followed one more moment of discomfort for Ireland, as Cheikh Sabaly stooped in the penalty area to head narrowly wide. The game ended with an incongruous shoving match, as Adam Idah and Cherif Ndiaye clashed during the long set-up to a late Senegal free-kick. The crowd broke into a round of ole, ole as tempers flared, and the cheer upon the ball hitting the wall was one to match the sound that met McAteer's goal.
It was a rare moment of intensity, and a foretaste of what's to come when the real business starts here against Hungary in September.
Republic of Ireland: Caoimhín Kelleher; Matt Doherty (Jake O'Brien, 66′), Nathan Collins (captain), Dara O'Shea, Robbie Brady (Liam Scales, 84′); Kasey McAteer (Festy Ebosele, 80′), Jason Knight, Will Smallbone (Andrew Moran, 80′), Ryan Manning (Killian Phillips, 66′); Jack Taylor (Evan Ferguson, 60′), Adam Idah
Senegal: Yehvann Diouf; Antoine Mendy, Abdoulaye Seck, Abdou Diallo, Ismail Jakobs (El Hadji Malick Diouf, 85′); Habib Diarra, Mamadou Camara (Cheikh Sabaly, 77′), Krepin Diatta (Lamine Camara, 63′); Abdallah Sima (Ismalia Sarr, 63′), Boulaye Dia (Cherif Ndiyae, 77′), Illiman Ndiaye
Referee: Adam Ladeback (Sweden)
Attendance: 32,478
