Full-time! Moldova 1-3 Ireland
It was not straightforward, indeed it was quite ugly at times but Ireland have another three points and are well positioned in Group D. James McClean’s second half brace makes it a second win in four days. Martin O’Neill’s team are behind Serbia on goal difference, with Wales third on five points and Austria another point back. Ireland take on Austria in Vienna next month. Moldova are also rans and were fortunate to have a goal here. Thanks for reading.
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90 min +3: It’s dealt with.
90 min +2: Cebotaru has a shot deflected out for a corner.
90 min: Moldova are absolutely filthy, a team with no discipline whatsoever. Since going 3-1 down they have been disgusting, going for the man rather than the ball. This time Dedov stands on Walters’ chest, leading to an angry reaction from the Stoke man. Walters is booked for his reaction, while Gatcan is also shown a card for then squaring up. There will be four minutes added on.
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89 min: Bugaev’s next piece of action is to go up for an aerial battle with Duffy. The Irish defender comes off worse, landing awkwardly on his arm. He receives some attention but is fit enough to continue.
88 min: Bugaev slides in from behind on Coleman. That will be a yellow for the Moldova attacker.
87 min: McClean, in search of his hat-trick, takes it. And fails to threaten.
86 min: O’Kane comes on for Hoolahan, who was very good at times tonight. Ireland have a free kick to come in a tasty position after a foul on Meyler.
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85 min: Ireland are killing some time, playing the ball across the back. Moldova are’t putting any pressure on them either.
84 min: Moldova’s final change – Sidorenco is on for Andronic.
82 min: It’s getting a bit dirty and cynical now. Bolohan and McClean get stuck in, with the latter earning a free kick. Then Bolohan has some afters with Meyler.
81 min: Hull’s David Meyler is on for McCarthy.
80 min: Cojocari is booked for a stupid tackle on McClean, who reacts quite angrily. It’s late, high and not neccesary.
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78 min: Dusan Tadic has put Serbia back in front against Austria in what seems to be a thriller. So, as it stands, Ireland and Serbia will be on top with seven, Wales will be third on five points and Austria a further point back.
GOAL! Moldova 1-3 Ireland (McClean)
76 min: That should be that. Coleman throws the ball to Hoolahan who nutmegs Dedov before passing it back to the captain. Coleman spots McClean free in the area, plants a pinpoint cross and it is finished off well by the West Brom player.
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75 min: Walters is fouled again, this time by Golovatenco. Ireland should be able to see this game out. Moldova look to be tiring.
72 min: Posmac fouls Walters, who is now playing as a striker up top since Long went off injured. Hoolahan’s free-kick is met by the head of Duffy, who sneds it wide.
GOAL! Moldova 1-2 Ireland (McClean)
70 min: … and just after typing that, Ireland are ahead. McCarthy hits a poor, scuffed shot but it fortunately falls into the path of McClean. He turns well and sends a neat low finish past Calancea.
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68 min: Austria have made it 2-2 in Serbia, Janko drawing them level for the second time. An Ireland goal would put O’Neill’s top of the group – not that they’d deserve it on the evidence of their performance since half time.
65 min: O’Dowda’s first act is a cross from the left that finds McClean at the back post. His header is poor.
64 min: This is dire. Bring back club football.
62 min: Shane Long is gone down clutching his hamstring and will be taken off. He had tweaked it late in the game against Georgia but was considered fit to continue. Callum O’Dowda is making his competitive debut in his place. Moldova make a change, too, Eugeniu Cebotaru entering the fray for Zasavitchi.
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60 min: Dedov forces Randolph into conceding a corner.
59 min: Ireland are coming back into the game more. Ward almost finds McClean with a cross from the left.
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57 min: A deflected Long cross drops in front of Hoolahan but he meets fresh air when swiping in the vague direction of Moldova’s goal.
56 min: McCarthy fouls Posmac near halfway.
53 min: Walters finds McClean with a cross from the right but the West Brom winger’s header is saved by Calancea. Then Hoolahan dribbles forward and shoots straight at the keeper.
52 min: Ireland have become stationary. Whelan has the ball in midfield but with no options for a simple pass ends up playing a diagonal ball into touch.
49 min: Coleman cynically drags down Dedov and earns the first booking of the match. Ireland have sunk into their shells here.
47 min: A positive start from Moldova. Bolohan’s shot from 25 yards is smothered by Randolph.
Restarted!
46 min: Moldova get us going. Can they spring a surprise or will Ireland come away with the win?
Half-time! Moldova 1-1 Ireland
Ireland have dominated and looked a level above for 45 minutes but Moldova are level thanks to that tidy Bugaev finish, capitalising on a lapse in concentration from the away defence.
GOAL! Moldova 1-1 Ireland (Bugaev)
45 min +1: In the first of two minutes added on the hosts have equalised with their first chance. Bugaev has scored his first international goal in five years but it is terrible from Ireland. Gatcan plays a ball forward towards the striker and with the visitors’ back four near the halfway line, the striker is too quick for Duffy and he finished calmly, low into Randolph’s bottom left corner.
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45 min: McClean shoots disappointingly over. And Calancea, prone to a comedy error, kicks the goal kick into touch. That’s the second time.
44 min: Gatcan fouls Walters in a dangerous position, straight in front of goal about 25 yards out.
43 min: Hoolahan has been immense. His next act is to send a lovely L1+∆ pass to McClean who shoots narrowly wide under pressure.
42 min: Moldova win a corner. Andronic puts too much juice on it, though, and Ireland clear. The hosts are coming into the game now. Can they fashion something before the break?
38 min: Huge excitement for Moldova as they win a free kick just inside Ireland’s half. Andronic sends it in and Bugaev tries an overhead kick. He fails to connect.
37 min: Mitrovic has put Serbia back in front at home to Austria. It’s now 2-1 in Belgrade.
36 min: Hoolahan takes a short free kick to Whelan. His shot is blocked and Moldova break, half-heartedly.
36 min: That is the end of Armas’s evening. The stretcher is on to carry him off. And a Moldovan sub, Golovatenco, is being readied.
35 min: Long is chopped down by Armas after a good, quick pass from Hoolahan to the Irish striker’s feet. The Moldovan defender slumps to the ground in agony and concedes a free-kick.
31 min: A break in play now as Cojocari and Whelan knock heads when rising to meet a high ball. The Irishman comes off slightly worse but should be OK to continue.
29 min: Whelan shoots wide after Hoolahan pulls Coleman’s deep cross from the right back into a central position. O’Neill swears a little more.
27 min: Moldova are coming into the game a bit now in terms of possession. They are yet to produce anything in the final third, though.
25 min: I’ve mentioned Coleman’s runs forward quite a bit but on the opposite side Burnley’s Stephen Ward has attacked at will too.
24 min: Austria have equalised against Serbia thanks to Marcel Sabitzer.
22 min: Bugaev is flagged offside when getting his leg to a wayward long range shot.
20 min: Ireland remain hungry for a second, though. Coleman tries to cross for McClean but it’s blocked for a corner. Hoolahan finds Duffy with his delivery but the centre half is blown up for climbing on Posmac’s back.
19 min: Ireland are very comfortable, but Wales were in a similar position early on against Georgia earlier.
17 min: A decent chance for Long after Coleman does well to advance down the right and cross. Bordian blocks the goalward attempt.
16 min: Clark wins the ball fairly off Bugaev, who goes to ground looking for a free kick.
15 min: It will not be news to any of you but Moldova are awful.
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14 min: Gatcan goes in hard but fair on Hoolahan.
13 min: It’s all Ireland – get it, Irish readers?! – as McCarthy feeds McClean. The Derryman shoots wide and Martin O’Neill shouts “for fuck sake” on the touchline.
12 min: Ward crosses from the left towards Walters. It’s a decent ball but the Stoke man has jumped a tad too early and fails to connect.
10 min: Calancea, the Moldova keeper, hoofs a clearance in to touch under no pressure. Awful. In the other Group D game taking place at the moment, Newcastle striker Mitrovic has put Serbia 1-0 up against Austria.
9 min: Hoolahan is causing all sorts of problems in the No10 role and Ireland look a far better team with him there. It’s just a pity he is 34 and Martin O’Neill does not believe he is capable of playing back to back fixtures.
6 min: Slightly better from the hosts as the captain, Gatcan, sends a deep cross from the left. It’s dealt with easily but there’s at least a sign of intent from the hosts.
4 min: Moldova look a mess. McClean almost finds Long with a low cross from the left. If Ireland can get a second goal soon it could turn very ugly indeed.
GOAL! Ireland 1-0 Moldova (Long)
2 min: Long has ended his drought! Some fans have not even taken their seats yet and the Southampton striker has the visitors in front. It came from a delightful Hoolahan through ball that split Moldova’s defence in half. Long ran on the perfectly weight pass and sent a low finish with the inside of his right boot into the bottom right corner.
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1 min: Modlova attack down the left through Dedov but Coleman defends well and prevents a corner before the hosts’ No10 commits a silly foul near the touchline.
Kick-off!
1 min: Wes Hoolahan, who was on the bench Thursday, starts us off.
Moldova are all in red. Ireland are in green shirts and white shorts and will get us underway, playing from right to left as we watch.
The players are out. The ground looks half empty but the 500 travelling supporters are in decent voice. It’s time for the anthems.
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“Hey Alan, Wow, back to back MBMs? You’re a veritable ironman,” emails JR. “Anyway, the only thing I know about Moldova is that they were absolutely robbed in Eurovision 2011. Their entry, “So Lucky” by Zdob si Zdub, was by far the best. See for yourself.”
Wales have only drawn at home to Georgia – which is a big boost for Ireland before kick-off here.
The teams
Moldova (4-1-4-1): Calancea; Bordian, Posmac, Armas, Bolohan; Andronic, Gatcan, Cojocari, Dedov; Zasavitchi, Bugaev.
Republic of Ireland (4-2-3-1): Randolph; Coleman, Clark, Duffy, Ward; Whelan, McCarthy; Walters, Hoolahan, McClean; Long.
Referee: J Kehlet (Den).
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Hello. Group D has been decent enough so far, right? Wales are playing out the final minutes of their game with Georgia, while Ireland, and Austria and Serbia, who face each other tonight, are hot on their tails.
Ireland were terrible against Georgia on Thursday but still found a way to win, while Moldova have been easy pickings for Wales and Serbia. The hosts’ manager, Igor Dobrovolski, has said he has a “rat” in his team who is leaking information to the press. “It’s important not to have rats in the team and I’ll exclude players who do not unite with the whole team,” he said yesterday. “Players who criticise the team to the media, it’s not acceptable - and such players will be thrown out. And that’s whatever the status of the player - he may be a star but if he criticises the team he will be thrown away.”
Martin O’Neill, meanwhile, has several absentees and will need to shuffle his pack with key midfielders Jeff Hendrick (suspension) and Robbie Brady (concussion) not available. Ireland, though, should have enough to win and keep up with Wales. “I think we need everyone to step up to the mark,” O’Neill says. “The performance in the first half [on Thursday] shows we need everybody at it. We can’t afford to carry anybody.”
A prediction: Moldova 0-1 Republic of Ireland. Kick-off in Chisinau is 7.45pm BST, team news to follow imminently.
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