Ireland v Portugal match thread

It's another clean sheet. We have won a few football matches and 3 clean sheets now. We needed to start keeping clean sheets and that's another one. It's important we back it up now against Luxembourg keep another clean sheet and from there every chance we score a goal or two to get us 3rd place. If our first two games in a Euro qualifier was a top seed at home and a solid 4th seed away and we got a draw and a win then we'd say "great start we have a real look in at qualifying". That's the key now to win these bread and butter games away to solid 4th seed teams.

We also had a disallowed goal as well. Pathetically soft but that's the modern game isn't it. 

Overall happy with the 0-0, almost killed the person next to me near the end when I thought we scored . Was an odd game not many shots but was a great game to be at. I would love Serbia to catch Portugal and beat them Sunday

All about that win on Sunday and to keep our seeding. 3rd or 4th seeding would be dangerous territory

Baz 6 some ultra dodgy passes to players under serious pressure, it's only a matter of time lads

Matt 7 faded as the game wore on

seamus 6 a few crowd pleases on Ronaldo but will never be a cb

shane 8 excellent, such improvement

Egan 6 short on confidence

enda 7 did well

josh 8 steady

Jeff 8 excellent, him and josh are a great pair, both dealt well with gavs medicine balls

jamie 7 clever player, his off the ball work can go unnoticed

chiedozie 6 terrible 30 mins but improved as game went on

callum, mom ha, better when playing off the left

stephen 7 subs were meh, but I assume he had lux in mind, players all giving their all for him, brave selection which he got away with, I expect Idah, Jimmy and Nat will start vs lux

Bollocks.

This. I'd actually start him in one or even both friendlies in March if he keeps doing his stuff at club level get a proper look at him. Almost certainly better then a League 1 player and looks more mobile then Collins. 

Would not surprise me if Serbia catch them on the hop. Would love to see it 

Mate mentioned to me the disparity in resources when João Felix and Renato Sanches came on. 

Yeah, well they've hardly hit the ground running and fulfilled their potential at any club they've joined, have they?

38 year old head the ball in defense, partnered by someone playing out of position. Nunes looked clueless. Bruno Fernandes looks a different player at national team level to the one who lights up Old Trafford. Semedo hit and miss. Dalot a squad player at United and then Milan.

And, let's face it, as remarkable as he is - there is the debate that having Ronaldo in that side stifles some of their players.

Portugal left out half their team tonight to avoid suspensions and played with a view to a draw being a decent result. So I wouldn't judge them too much based on tonight. Having said that, they have looked less than the sum of their parts for a few years now, so it's not impossible that Serbia take them. But they'll probably find a way to get the point they need, with some refereeing assistance thrown in if it comes to it.