A quick response from Ireland was needed after their weekend defeat to Greece, and some intricate build-up play saw the hosts come close to a lead inside just 25 seconds. Jamie McGrath met a ball from Jason Knight, but he could only fire straight at Dayle Coleing from close range.
As expected, the one-way traffic persisted in the opening half-hour, seemingly making it a simple question of when an Irish opener would arrive, although Gibraltar creditably reached the 30 minute-mark on level terms.
Prior to kick-off, Ireland’s 5-3-2 system had been expected to cause Gibraltar major issues on the flanks. However, the reality was very different after that opening-minute scare, as Gibraltar remained compact despite the relentless pressure from Ireland.
Evan Ferguson was marked out of the game at every turn by some at-times frantic defending, while Coleing cut a formidable figure, tipping a venomous shot from McGrath over the bar in the final minute of the first period.
Having been held goalless in the opening half for a second time in three head-to-head's against FIFA’s 201st-ranked nation, there was rich expectation of an angered Ireland playing with more aggression after the interval.
And so it proved nine minutes into the second half, as an Irish free-kick for handball on the edge of the box allowed Will Smallbone to fire at goal unopposed. The Gibraltar wall only partially did its job of blocking the Southampton man’s effort, and the rebound enabled Mikey Johnston to tap into an open net.
Despite being one of the easiest maiden international goals anyone in Ireland’s history has ever scored, such a belated opener was welcomed like the matchwinner it surely would be. That was expected to open the floodgates, and Ireland ended the match as a contest soon after, with an unmarked James McClean crossing from the left flank to find the head of Ferguson.
Nobody was stopping the Brighton forward this time, and he netted his first competitive international goal into the bottom-left corner past a stranded Coleing to get the Aviva Stadium rocking.
Although more goals were expected, the third of the night nearly went to Gibraltar late on, as Ireland failed to deal with a corner, and could count themselves fortunate that Niels Hartman’s point-blank effort was straight at Gavin Bazunu.
However, normal service soon resumed, and McClean nearly marked his century of international appearances with a dream strike, but his gilt-edged chance inside the box was tipped over by a now tiring Coleing. In the end, it was a straightforward night’s work for Ireland, and Adam Idah produced another headed maiden international goal for the Irish deep into stoppage time, maximising Ireland’s much-needed newfound momentum before a daunting trip to Paris in September.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jamie McGrath (Republic of Ireland)
