Ireland 1 Switzerland 0, 25th March 2016
Ireland made a winning start to their pre-EURO 2016 friendlies as they defeated Switzerland at Lansdowne Road. Ciaran Clarke's goal came in the second minute of an entertaining first-half. But the second half was a drab affair, with chances few and far between.
Ireland made the perfect start. Aiden McGeady and Robbie Brady combined to win a corner out left, after the latter's attempted cross was blocked. The Swiss cleared the first corner, but a second from Brady was headed on by Shane Duffy. Clarke reacted quickest to head home his second Irish goal.
The Swiss created their first chance in the ninth minute. Michael Lang played the ball into Granit Xhaka, who in turn laid it off for Blerim Dzemaili on the edge of the box, but he couldn't keep his effort down.
McGeady won another corner out left in the eleventh minute. He took it himself, going short to the front post. Kevin Doyle got there first, but his effort was blocked to force another Ireland corner.
The Swiss cleared, and they had the next chance as Haris Seferovic got a shot away inside the Irish box. But under much pressure, he could only push it wide to the right.
The best Swiss chance of the first period came in the sixteenth minute as a Dzemaili corner from the right was met by a powerful Seferovic header. The effort was just over Randolph's crossbar.
Kevin Doyle's evening was cut short in the twenty-third minute as he landed awkwardly on his ankle. Unfortunately it looked like a nasty one, as the Wexford-native was treated for nearly four minutes on the pitch before being stretchered off.
Randolph was nearly caught out in the thirty-fourth minute as Xhaka's innocuous looking shot from twenty-five yards deflected off Seferovic; the Irish keeper had to readjust quickly to hold the ball.
And Martin O'Neill's side were unlucky not to double their lead in the thirty-seventh minute. McGeady put Seamus Coleman in space out right. The Everton winger's cross found Long, whose header beat Sommer but not the crossbar. Long had a second bite of the cherry, but he couldn't get the same power on the header, and the Swiss keeper was able to save the effort with little difficulty.
The Swiss started the second half brightly, but they were finding it difficult to create chances from open play. They very nearly had one in the fifty-sixth minute as Dzemaili played a ball into the path of Breel Embolo. Clarke was alert however to get across and make a great covering tackle.
But it was a rare highlight in a period of the game that felt very much like a friendly. The flow of the game was disrupted by the predictable emptying of the benches from both managers.
The Swiss had the next chance in the sixty-sixth minute as Ricardo Rodriguez's corner was met by the head of Dzemaili. Again, Randolph was more than equal to the effort.
Daryl Murphy tried to do it all himself in the seventy-sixth minute, cutting in from the right and blasting the ball high and wide. In truth, there were better options, including the option of Judge who was free just inside him. Murphy was rewarded by being taken off almost immediately, having only been introduced following the injury to Doyle in the first-half.
Switzerland were nearly level in the eighty-fourth minute as a shot was deflected by Emobolo, but luckily for Ireland it rolled to the left and wide.
Ireland had their final chance in the last minute of normal time, but Eunan O'Kane's shot was just wide to the right of Sommer's goal.
A win is a win, and O'Neill's side know winning ugly might be a useful tool come France this summer. They next face Slovakia on Tuesday evening.
Ireland: Randolph, Coleman, Brady, Duffy, Clark, McGeady (Hayes 61), Meyler (O'Kane 61), Quinn (McCarthy 61), Judge, Long (McClean 84), Doyle (Murphy 27 (Hoolahan 79))
Subs not used: Forde, Elliott, McShane, Keogh, Pearse, Christie, Ward, Gleeson, Doherty
Switzerland: Sommer, Klose, Lang (Widmer 82), Embolo, Seferovic (Steffan 61), Xhala, Behrami (Fernandes 71), Rodriguez (Moubandje 78), Dzemaili (Tarashaj 71), Mehmedi (Kasami 71), Schar
Subs not used: Hitz, Burki, Zuffi, Senderos
Yellow Card: Dzemaili 40, Xhaka 60
Ireland made the perfect start. Aiden McGeady and Robbie Brady combined to win a corner out left, after the latter's attempted cross was blocked. The Swiss cleared the first corner, but a second from Brady was headed on by Shane Duffy. Clarke reacted quickest to head home his second Irish goal.
The Swiss created their first chance in the ninth minute. Michael Lang played the ball into Granit Xhaka, who in turn laid it off for Blerim Dzemaili on the edge of the box, but he couldn't keep his effort down.
McGeady won another corner out left in the eleventh minute. He took it himself, going short to the front post. Kevin Doyle got there first, but his effort was blocked to force another Ireland corner.
The Swiss cleared, and they had the next chance as Haris Seferovic got a shot away inside the Irish box. But under much pressure, he could only push it wide to the right.
The best Swiss chance of the first period came in the sixteenth minute as a Dzemaili corner from the right was met by a powerful Seferovic header. The effort was just over Randolph's crossbar.
Kevin Doyle's evening was cut short in the twenty-third minute as he landed awkwardly on his ankle. Unfortunately it looked like a nasty one, as the Wexford-native was treated for nearly four minutes on the pitch before being stretchered off.
Randolph was nearly caught out in the thirty-fourth minute as Xhaka's innocuous looking shot from twenty-five yards deflected off Seferovic; the Irish keeper had to readjust quickly to hold the ball.
And Martin O'Neill's side were unlucky not to double their lead in the thirty-seventh minute. McGeady put Seamus Coleman in space out right. The Everton winger's cross found Long, whose header beat Sommer but not the crossbar. Long had a second bite of the cherry, but he couldn't get the same power on the header, and the Swiss keeper was able to save the effort with little difficulty.
The Swiss started the second half brightly, but they were finding it difficult to create chances from open play. They very nearly had one in the fifty-sixth minute as Dzemaili played a ball into the path of Breel Embolo. Clarke was alert however to get across and make a great covering tackle.
But it was a rare highlight in a period of the game that felt very much like a friendly. The flow of the game was disrupted by the predictable emptying of the benches from both managers.
The Swiss had the next chance in the sixty-sixth minute as Ricardo Rodriguez's corner was met by the head of Dzemaili. Again, Randolph was more than equal to the effort.
Daryl Murphy tried to do it all himself in the seventy-sixth minute, cutting in from the right and blasting the ball high and wide. In truth, there were better options, including the option of Judge who was free just inside him. Murphy was rewarded by being taken off almost immediately, having only been introduced following the injury to Doyle in the first-half.
Switzerland were nearly level in the eighty-fourth minute as a shot was deflected by Emobolo, but luckily for Ireland it rolled to the left and wide.
Ireland had their final chance in the last minute of normal time, but Eunan O'Kane's shot was just wide to the right of Sommer's goal.
A win is a win, and O'Neill's side know winning ugly might be a useful tool come France this summer. They next face Slovakia on Tuesday evening.
Ireland: Randolph, Coleman, Brady, Duffy, Clark, McGeady (Hayes 61), Meyler (O'Kane 61), Quinn (McCarthy 61), Judge, Long (McClean 84), Doyle (Murphy 27 (Hoolahan 79))
Subs not used: Forde, Elliott, McShane, Keogh, Pearse, Christie, Ward, Gleeson, Doherty
Switzerland: Sommer, Klose, Lang (Widmer 82), Embolo, Seferovic (Steffan 61), Xhala, Behrami (Fernandes 71), Rodriguez (Moubandje 78), Dzemaili (Tarashaj 71), Mehmedi (Kasami 71), Schar
Subs not used: Hitz, Burki, Zuffi, Senderos
Yellow Card: Dzemaili 40, Xhaka 60
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