Many great Irish defenders have come and gone over the years, and now, one more has officially hung up his boots. Former Manchester United star John O’Shea said goodbye to international football tonight, as the Republic of Ireland came from 1-0 down to secure a dramatic late victory over the United States. It was a game that many fans felt didn’t need to happen, and it was one that very few cared about, but when it was all said and done, it was an evening that was still deemed a success.
Neither Ireland or the US were able to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia this summer, and while that is sad, it provides both nations with room to grow as they look ahead to the future. With that being said, both teams seemed eager to make a statement, and it was the visitors who were able to strike first – although the goal took a while to come.
Bobby Wood was the man to open the scoring just before half-time, letting the air out of Aviva Stadium on what was supposed to be a night of celebration for the aforementioned O’Shea. Thankfully for the Irish, youngster Graham Burke gave fans hope for the future by equalising before Alan Judge struck in the dying minutes to send the fans home happy.
Ireland’s summer adventure is over, with their next friendly set to take place in September against World Cup-bound Poland. For the Americans, they’ll attempt to regroup before taking on France who are widely considered to be one of the favourites to lift the WC this summer.
Match Report
Ireland: Doyle (7), Coleman (6), O’Shea (6), Long (6), Duffy (7), Rice (6), Hendrick (5.5), O’Dowda (7.5), Walters (6.5), McClean (7), Burke (7.5), Lenihan (6), Horgan (6.5), Stevens (6.5), Arter (6), Judge (7.5)
United States: Hamid (6), Yedlin (6), Carter-Vickers (6.5), Miazga (6), Villafana (5.5), Trapp (7), Weah (5.5), Adams (7), McKennie (6), Rubin (7), Wood (7.5), Parker (6), Moore (6), Sargent (6.5), de la Torre (6), Corona (6)
Referee: Andrew Dallas
Goals: Burke, Judge :: Woods
Yellow Cards: Carter-Vickers, Adams, Corona
Red Cards: N/A
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