Ireland 0 v 0 Montenegro

14 Oct 2009

Rep of Ireland: Given, St. Ledger, McShane, Dunne, Kilbane, Stephen Hunt (replaced by Keogh), Rowlands (replaced by O'Shea), Miller, Duff, Noel Hunt (replaced by Best), Keane. Subs: Westwood, Keogh, Lawrence, Kelly, O'Shea, Doyle, Best.

Montenegro: Poleksic, Basa, Batak, Jovanovic, Zverotic, Simon Vukcevic, Boskovic, Novakovic, Drincic, Pekovic, Delibasic. Subs: Mladen Bozovic, Dzudovic, Kascelan, Delic, Gluscevic, Damjanovic, Nikola Vukcevic.

While we failed to beat a weak Montenegro team we can lay claim to a successful qualification campaign in which we have remained unbeaten (only 5 teams in the qualification process have achieved this) and we are one step closer to qualification for the finals.

Paul McShane may have given the centurion defenders of Given and Kilbane a worrying moment when he blocked a Vukcevic shot in the penalty area with his arm. Trapattoni after the game when answering a reporter from Montenegro asked the reporter if he knew the rules and proceeded to explain that McShane was within 2 meters of the player shooting so no penalty. Trapattoni also gave a theatrical re-enactment of a similar incident in our game in Montenegro. All even so.

Very few chances were created, Richard Dunne came closest of all when he hit the bar with a first-half header from a Stephen Hunt free kick. Duff should have done better on a couple of occasions but looked a bit rusty due to a recent calf injury. His unusually rushed play meant chances went a begging.

The visitors' weren't without some chances also, captain Branko Boskovic had headed wide with just Given to beat and some long range shots could have been troublesome but Given was well placed on both occasions.

The first stage of the Republic's qualifying mission therefore ended with a whimper as a sixth draw to go with their four wins ensured they head into next month's play-off games without a defeat to their names.

But on a night when Given and full-back Kevin Kilbane made 100th appearances for their country, there was little else to cheer.

Given did at least manage to negotiate the 90 minutes without picking up a booking, which would have ruled him out of the first leg of the play-off, but manager Giovanni Trapattoni saw midfielder Martin Rowlands carried off with what looked like a bad knee injury. Trapattoni said afterward that it looks like a cruciate ligament injury so Rowlands will be out for some time.

Neither side really threatened to snatch all three points in a tame conclusion which was in stark contract to the one the home fans at Croke Park witnessed on Saturday.

Role on the play-offs!