Heimir Hallgrímsson speaks to the media(Image: INPHO/Ryan Byrne)
Ireland’s friendly on Tuesday night against North Macedonia might be seen by many as salt in the wide open wounds of last Thursday’s penalty shootout defeat to Czechia.
Instead of hosting Denmark for a place in this summer’s World Cup, the two play-off losers must meet for a game in order to fulfil UEFA television rights obligations.
For Heimir Hallgrímsson, however, it’s an opportunity to begin putting the agony of Prague in the rear view mirror, a chance to get right back on the bike.
Hallgrímsson offers another, more extreme, metaphor that may well point to the pain still being felt within the camp.
“It’s always good to play national games, just to continue improving,” he said.
“It’s like a car crash; if you are driving and you crash a car, the best thing to do is to go back in a car and drive, so that effect kind of wipes away.
“It’s probably similar in this case, it’s good to have a game after this to try to correct what we can correct, move on, and that is one of the things that we need to work on, because we haven’t played a lot of big matches in the past.
“We just need to grow from this. If you play big games, and we like to play big games, if they don’t go the way you want, then it’s big losses. It’s a big hole in your heart after games like this.
“So that’s the thing, when you play big games you have big losses, and we would like to move on from this and learn.”
Hallgrímsson reflected on the performance in Prague and said: “First of all, I’m really proud for the performance of the players. I think 99 percent of what we did was really well executed. I think we can be proud.
“Obviously there were margins. A lot of them were from set-plays. Hit the crossbar from a set-play, hit the post from a set-play, missed marginally two really good chances.
“It could have easily went our way like it did in Hungary, but it went the opposite in this game and that’s what happens at this level.
“It’s little things that are the make or break. But most of all I am proud of the performance, of what they gave, they left everything out there and the Irish people love that, because that’s what they demand of this team.
“If it’s marginal we cannot control these things. But we just need to put closure on that game, move on, and learn where we can improve.
“Again it’s not big things, it’s small steps. Maybe not now, but focus on the next tournament. Let’s finish this camp, this game against Macedonia, let’s finish that well, because even though we lost I think we did a good game.
“Let’s not sacrifice that with a bad performance against Macedonia. That’s why we need to put closure on that game and move on.”
Describing Thursday’s game as “cruel”, he said: “It’s still painful, especially when you look at the game again and I think it was an undeserved loss in the sense of chances created, in the goals they scored against us, but that’s the game.
“It’s cruel, it’s cruel, but again it’s just margins, the equaliser is a goal he didn’t even know he scored, it came from his shoulder or back or something, he wasn’t even looking at the goal.
“So that’s just where we are, playing a team that doesn’t lose at home, three, four, five minutes before the end we’re winning, we had it in our hands and then to lose it the way we did, it’s just painful and it will be painful every time you look back.
“But obviously getting all the positives when you look back, so we just have a closure meeting this morning, talked about things we can improve on and what we need, where we need our focus to be on at the moment and that’s life, that’s life, the road to success is never a straight line, there will always be set-backs.”
He added that Sammie Szmodics was “back home” and would be “taking it easy for the next few days.”
Jack Taylor will most likely miss the Macedonia game, with Hallgrímsson explaining: “His wife got sick, so there are more important things than football in life. We’ll take that day by day. He might come back if it’s appropriate, but otherwise he is back at home.”
Tuesday will give him an opportunity to shake up his side.
“What I have said, and I have been consistent in this, is that we have been playing really important games, so there has been no chance to try players and take risks, or whatever you want to call it,” he said.
“But now it’s not much at stake, so if I am being consistent, now is the time to give some players a chance.”