Ireland and North Macedonia would play out an utterly forgettable 0-0 draw at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday evening, with the action on the pitch hardly igniting what was always likely to be a dire affair.
In truth, neither side involved in this fixture had all that much interest in being there. It was essentially a punishment for losing their World Cup play-off semi-finals a few days previous.
The tempo of the match suggested as much. There was little excitement to speak of, with Ireland having the better of the few chances on the night.
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RTÉ pundits clash over Ireland team
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Perhaps the only notable aspect of this fixture came in the form of two Ireland debutants, with both Bosun Lawal and James Abankwah earning their first international caps.
Some had expected some of the fringe squad members to start in the game, being given an opportunity to stake their claim for a place ahead of the Nations League later this year. However, Heimir Hallgrimsson fielded a near first choice XI, making just three changes to the side that lost in Prague.
That was something that caused a bit of friction in the RTÉ studio ahead of kick-off.
Kenny Cunningham was unhappy that some less experienced players (Bosun Lawal in particular) did not start the game. Richie Sadlier rubbished those suggestions, leading to a clash between the two pundits:
Sadlier: I’m not going to get overly energised about the starting team for a North Macedonia friendly that they don’t want to play either. I’d imagine Lawal and others will get on the pitch at some point, so for me it’s not about the starting XI. Lets judge after 90 minutes.
Cunningham: But it has to be about the starting XI. Unless you’re saying what we’ve seen the last two games is as good as what we can do, that this is perfect, that the type of football we’re playing at the moment I couldn’t criticise it…
Sadlier: There is going to be a rake of caps given out tonight, loads of them will get an opportunity. I’m not going to fall into this category of thinking this is a really important game and we should get overly animated about team selections, results, or performances. Lets just frame this as what it is.
Cunningham: This matters though, to a small extent.
Sadlier: Okay, you do the hype job. It’s the smallest lowest stake game…
This game is not the massive opportunity to do whatever you think it is. It’s a nothing game.
It was a bit strange to see such a strong XI chosen for this game, although it would have been difficult to see how any player could strengthen their case for future selection in such a pedestrian fixture.
There will be further opportunities for the likes of Lawal and Abankwah to make a mark in an Ireland jersey over the coming months, with the team set to play three friendlies in May and June. Unfortunately, those games will not be acting as a warm-up for the World Cup in North America.
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