Complacency and poor game-management were two reasons for Ireland’s shocking two-minute collapse against Armenia on Tuesday night, according to centre-half Dara O’Shea.
And while pleased to get the win, thanks to Robbie Brady’s late penalty, the West Brom youngster admitted there was a sense of disappointment in the Irish dressing room afterwards.
It was very much a message of must-do-better if Ireland are to compete with the top teams when the Euro 2024 qualifiers kick off next March.
“I suppose I’m glad we won the game, but disappointed with how it went,” said the 23-year-old.
“There was a spell there for 15 minutes where we just completely lost our way and they got two goals back, which is really disappointing because we want to keep clean sheets.
“Playing against a better opposition and to compete against them, we’ve got to keep clean sheets.
“To concede two goals like that against the run of play, it was disappointing that we weren’t set up in the right way and we kind of just lost our way for a bit.”
Asked why he felt the Boys in Green lost their way in those critical moments between the 71st and 73rd minutes, O’Shea replied: “Just complacency, I think.
“Obviously it was a game where they dropped deep and we had lots of possession and we were attacking a lot.
“Maybe we were too attacking at some stage, trying to get an extra goal when the game could have been won at 2-0 if we’d just managed the game better.
“I’d probably put it down to that.”
It was O’Shea’s shot that struck the arm of Armenia’s first goalscorer Artak Dashyan that led to the late match-winning penalty.
“I thought initially when it happened that it had to be, because it was on target and his hand was away from his body. So I thought it had to be,” he said.
“Then obviously we saw it (the VAR replay) and the crowd’s reaction as well, it obviously made it hard for the referee not to give it.”
He added: “I suppose it was a relief to have that chance to get back ahead.
“I think us as players, we weren’t too happy, even though we won the game, because we are all top players and we want to play against the best teams.
“To concede two goals against a team that we should be beating comfortably isn’t the best.”
The two goals were conceded from now-familiar terrain. Ireland have become susceptible to long-range efforts and both of Armenia’s goals last night came from occasions when the shooter wasn’t closed down.
“It’s kind of been our downfall, I suppose, shots from outside the box,” admitted O’Shea.
“We are just really disappointed with how we performed for those 15 minutes. It kind of spoils a good performance, as such.”
Would a more experienced bunch of players have managed the latter stages of tonight’s match better?
“I don’t think it will come down to the youthful aspect of it,” replied O’Shea.
“Obviously we are all experienced in the games we play at club level too.
“It’s a collective, as a team. We have got to look at ourselves and obviously it’s disappointing.
“I’m trying to find words to describe it other than it being disappointing to concede those goals. But we are still glad we’ve got the win and it’s three points.”
Eager to move on and look to November’s friendlies against Norway and Malta, and beyond, he added: “I don’t think we can look at it as a downer.
“We won the game, which was the main thing. It’s just us, as ourselves, as professional as we want to be, we want to win more comfortably than that.
“All in all the campaign probably didn’t go the way we wanted it to go. We probably didn’t get what we deserved either with the performances we put in.
“But it’s something to build on going into the friendlies in November and then the start of the Euro campaign.”
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