Ultra-pro Irish hammer Finns - November 16, 2000 Republic of Ireland 3 Finland 0 The Finnish team which so embarrassed England a few weeks ago came to Landsowne Road last night and left with their tails between their legs, wondering how they managed to lose 3-0 despite dominating the game for periods and carving out two or three clear chances. But it was a professional display from the Irish, who did exactly what they had to do - and none more so than manager Mick McCarthy who - friendly or no friendly - was not in a giveaway mood. It was a performance reminiscent of the Liverpool of old: Ireland got their noses in front, stifled the game by flooding midfield and then killed off their punched-out opponents mercilessly in the last ten minutes. With the likes of Roy Keane, Stephen Carr and Niall Quinn absent and Gary Breen and Ian Harte turning in performances reminiscent of the bad old days, the Finns threatened to spoil the party right from the start. The old warhorse Jarui Litmanen in particular treated the Lansdowne Road fans to a virtuoso array of passing skills which promised to carve open the Irish back four at will. Luckily, in those early stages, Shay Given took the opportunity of proving that he is still a world-class 'keeper. Once Ireland scored though - against the run of play - McCarthy acted decisively, taking off Ian Harte and Gary Kelly and throwing on Lee Carsley to plug the gaps in midfield. Finnan, the goalscorer, slotted in at right back - and, having proved in the first half that he is a genuine option for the right side of midfield, he went on to provide evidence that he and Carr are currently Ireland's two best full backs. The Fulham star took his goal brilliantly. Mark Kinsella, receiving on the half-way line, spotted Finnan on a prefectly-time run through the flat Finnish defence. The Charlton midfielder floated it through into space and Finnan's delightful first touch took him around the goalkeeper, leaving him with the simple task of prodding into an empty net. McCarthy's half-time changes, with striker Dominic Foley called ashore and Steve Staunton sent in to left back, were made on the "what we have, we hold" basis - though the manager claimed somewhat disingenuously afterwards that he was aiming for a 4-3-3 formation, rather than the 4-5-1 pattern that emerged. Who could argue? It wasn't pretty, but it ensured that Ireland's seven-game unbeaten streak continued - and McCarthy learned the lesson at Jack Charlton's knee that the winning habit is worth anything. It was an exercise that may well have to repeated when Holland and Portugal visit Lansdowne in the World Cup. Whatever the formation, Ireland still carried enough attacking threat to kill the game off when the demoralised Finns presented them with the chance. With five minutes left, McAteer, raiding down the right, floated a deep cross which Kevin Kilbane headed emphatically home - his first senior international goal. Then Steve Staunton - two caps short now of Tony Cascarino's record - received the ball from a short free kick in the corner and curled it viciously into the top corner. That was the difference between the teams - Ireland had tried the same move in the first half, with Kinsella the marksman. But Finland hadn't learned the lesson. What did we learn? McCarthy has unearthed another genuine international in Steve Finnan; Kevin Kilbane can give us an extra aerial threat when Quinn hangs up his boots; and Shay Given, Lee Carsley and Jason McAteer still have an important role to play in this squad. Ireland: Shay Given (Newcastle), Gary Kelly (Leeds United), Gary Breen (Coventry City), Richard Dunne (Manchester City), Ian Harte (Leeds United), Steve Finnan (Fulham), Matt Holland (Ipswich Town), Mark Kinsella (Charlton Athletic) capt, Kevin Kilbane (Sunderland), Dominic Foley (Watford), Robbie Keane (Inter Milan) Subs: Jason McAteer (Blackburn) for Kelly 45, Steve Staunton (Liverpool) for Harte 45, Lee Carsley (Blackburn) for Foley 45, David Connolly (Feyenoord) for Keane 90 Subs not used: Jason Gavin (Middlesbrough), Michael Reddy (Sunderland), John O'Shea (Manchester United), Alan Kelly (Blackburn) Goals: Finnan 14, Kilbane 85, Staunton 90 Finland: Jaaskelainen, Nylund, Saarinen, Pasanen, Tihinen, Tainio, Riihilahti, Kolkka, Litmanen, Johansson, Forsell Subs: Gronlund for Johansson 45, Kuqi for Forssell 45, Kuivasto for Tainion 66, Nurmela for Pasanen 78, Kottila for Kolkka 86 Subs not used: Valakari, Niemi Referee: P Durkin (England) |