Thanks for joining me! Not a great result or performance from Republic of Ireland tonight but their destiny is still in their own hands, even if they do need to beat Denmark.
Here is the report from the Ireland game:
And our roundup of the rest of the qualifiers:
Updated
I have to go tell Mrs LiveBlogger than Romania conceded a last-minute equaliser. She will be raging.
Sky are showing Gibraltar’s goals against Georgia, which came from two cross. Maybe Ireland could learn something.
Stephen Ward’s continued positivity is concerning.
Big Mick: “We’ve had a second half we can be proud of.”
Why was it such a slow start? “Because they started fast. They’re a good team.”
“We haven’t scored that many goals, have we? We are missing our best striker.
“It’s a cup final on the 18th November at the Aviva [against Denmark]. I would have taken that.”
Darren Randolph: “It’s frustrating to lose with them scoring in the last minute with the last kick of the game but they’re a good team. We have another chance next month to get the win at home.
“It was a harsh sending off from my view, seeing it live.”
Good luck.
There is no way we deserve to qualify on merit...but you play on grass not merit, so we can beat the Danes!! #swiire #COYBIG #GuardianLive @Will_Unwin
— Noel Fitzpatrick (@Noelito40) October 15, 2019
Aaron Connolly: “The second half performance deserved something but we’ve come away from nothing, so we can’t complain.”
The forward did not seem too cheery in general.
Stephen Ward is being very polite as he hates mates in the Ireland team but they were awful.
Jeff Hendrick: “I think we were pretty poor the first half - it was there for everyone to see.
“We tried to get the ball moving and pass it a bit more but it wasn’t enough.
“When we got into their final third our final pass wasn’t good enough.”
Babb reminds us that Gibraltar scored twice against Georgia where Ireland could barely muster a shot. Why does Big Mick hate attacking?
Baz says ...
This group is quite extraordinary. Ireland are utterly shit, never seem to score or win but are somehow still top with one game to go. And almost certainly won't qualify because ... fucking Denmark. pic.twitter.com/EkDHQd9MKS
— Barry Glendenning (@bglendenning) October 15, 2019
Phil Babb thinks Big Mick will be encouraged by the second-half performance, which is sweet.
Obviously, it’s nice that Ireland want to qualify for the Euros, but do they really want a wider audience for this brand of football?
Updated
Full-time scores
Finland 3-0 Armenia
Faroe Islands 1-0 Malta
Gibraltar2-3 Georgia
Greece2-1 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Israel 3-1 Latvia
Liechtenstein 0-5 Italy
Romania 1-1 Norway
Sweden 1-1 Spain
Switzerland 2-0 Rep of Ireland
Full-time
Late goals in Sweden and Switzerland. Rodrigo’s for Spain sees them qualify for the Euros, while the latter just makes things worse Ireland.
Check out all the FT scores HERE.
GOAL! Switzerland 2-0 Republic of Ireland (Fernandes, 90+3)
The ball arrives at Fernandes’ feet in the box, he sidefoots it towards goal, Duffy tries to stop it but only steers it into the back of the net.
GOAL! Sweden 1-1 Spain (Rodrigo, 90+2)
The ball is smashed across goal where it seems like everyone on the pitch is waiting but Rodrigo is the man to react as he jabs the ball home.
Updated
90 mins: Switzerland break but it comes to nothing. Three minutes added on.
89 mins: Spain are trying to find an equaliser but this mainly involves passing the ball side-to-side. Sweden’s defence has been excellent throughout.
87 mins: Michael Meagher says: “If that pass had found its man it would have been a thing of beauty.” As Barry Glendenning of your parish likes to say: “If my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle.”
I am sure people other than Baz say that. Additionally, I am just trying to find positives in this Irish positive.
Updated
85 mins: Switzerland are just keeping the ball here, as they also look tired, so do not want to strain themselves.
GOAL! Liechtenstein 0-4 Italy (El Shaarawy, 82)
AND ANOTHER! Nothing to see here.
82 mins: The Irish are trying to put pressure on the ball but the state of the pitch seems to have tired them sufficiently.
80 mins: With only 10 men on the pitch, can Ireland salvage anything here? No.
Classic Jolly
Seamus Coleman had not been sent off for eight years. Now he's been sent off in his last game for both club and country.
— Richard Jolly (@RichJolly) October 15, 2019
GOAL! Liechtenstein 0-3 Italy (Romagnoli, 77)
All done an dusted in Liechtenstein.
77 mins: PENALTY SAVED! Rodriguez sends a low penalty to Randolph’s left but the goalkeeper gets a big hand on it, tipping the ball onto the post.
Updated
RED CARD! Coleman
76 mins: Penalty! Switzerland have a penalty after an Embolo shot is adjudged to have been blocked by Coleman’s hand, which results in him being sent off.
After being 2-0 down against Georgia, Gibraltar have pulled it back to 2-2!!!
74 mins: Duffy does it best to whack a simple pass out of play when he misdirects it but Stevens recovers the ball just in time. Ireland need to up things here.
GOAL! Liechtenstein 0-2 Italy (Belotti, 70)
The Italians finally have a second after Belotti heads home a corner.
71 mins: Browne sends a long pass down the pitch for Hogan to chase but it is intercepted before the striker can get to it. If that pass had found its man it would have be a thing of beauty.
69 mins: Duffy will miss Ireland’s next match after receiving a yellow following a tough but, in my opinion, fair challenge on Akanji. That’s a blow for McCarthy. Hogan is on for Ireland, replacing Connolly.
67 mins: Oyarzabal curls in a free-kick but Sweden clear, only for a second cross to be sent into the box which a diving Moreno flicks wide.
64 mins: Rodriguez whips in a corner which Schar rises highest for, only to see his head hit the outside of the post. Embolo whacks the ball across the six-yard box but Ireland manage to clear the danger.
62 mins: Oyarzabal gets on the end of a Carvajal cross but he heads the ball up and over.
61 mins: Egan is up for a set-piece and in the end he gets the ball on the edge of the area, where he turns, only to drag a shot wide. Ireland have looked better since the break, mainly as they are playing with some intent rather than just whacking it long.
Updated
60 mins: De Gea looks to have done his hamstring and is being replaced by Kepa. Not good news for Manchester United ahead of their clash with Liverpool at the weekend. I hope Lee Grant is fit.
Updated
58 mins: It is pretty fair by the looks of things, it was just the opening sixth of the game which was underwhelming.
@Will_Unwin I'm biased, but Sweden being a goal up actually feels like a fair reflection of the game. Just worried it was too early, in case the goal makes the Spanish players wake up.
— Jesper Haglund (@Kajehase) October 15, 2019
56 mins: Embolo tries to break through the Irish midfield but is crudely brought down by Hendrick, who goes into the book. The striker looks hurt after also being caught by Whelan on his way down. Xhaka smacks the free-kick from 30 yards just over.
54 mins: Sweden barely had a kick in the opening 15 minutes but since then have created a number of chances and would already be ahead if it wasn’t for the magnificence of De Gea, who has plenty of experience of keeping his club in games.
52 mins: Mandy Deen says: “I just wanted to write in, as a Swiss, to provide some balance on the liveblog. I will predict there is a 80% chance Xhaka gets a red card before the end of the game and Ireland equalize. Also when is Embolo going to score in a game I’m watching? I hear such buzz about him but have yet to see him score for Switzerland! Also to say hello to my Irish boyfriend who is sad and following along at work (as am I).
“HOPP SCHWIIZ!!”
Glad I am bringing lovers together.
GOAL! Sweden 1-0 Spain (Berg, 50)
A chipped cross into the box is headed at goal by Berg but De Gea does well to palm it out, only for Forsberg to send it back towards the net, allowing Berg to head the ball home.
Updated
49 mins: Coleman spends 10 seconds turning himself inside out on his own byline before Embolo puts him out of his misery and gives Ireland a goal kick.
@Will_Unwin would you go as far as to refer to this Irish performance as akin to sizzleless sausages, all suet filler and no meaty thriller (veggie fillings are available)
— Fred the Leopard (@FredLeopard) October 15, 2019
Ultimately, yes, it is rubbish.
47 mins: McCarthy brought on O’Dowda for Collins at the break, which might make a difference. Connolly is now down the middle. O’Dowda makes an early impact by going past Akanji, forcing the defender to bring him down, earning a yellow for his troubles.
Second half
Can you hear the whistles? They’re being blown around Europe.
Justin Kavanagh reminisces: “During the Charlton years Ireland’s groundsmen were told to leave the grass grow long so the ball would hold up when pumped long into the corners. But these days, the Aviva groundkeepers probably neglect their grass-cutting duties to avoid any danger of being given free tickets to watch this dross.”
I would not go very far to watch this, that’s for sure.
Pass the break with Marvin Sordell ...
Can McCarthy make some changes? No, it will still be turgid whatever he does.
Paul Fitzgerland emails to say: “While it’s hard to say as an Irishman, Ireland losing is at least just considering our approach to any game, just look at the Gibraltar match. Our game has always been about our backs to the wall but usually with a bit of guile or some tempo. These stodgy displays means that unfortunately if we don’t make the finals, no one will miss us.”
I also watched the Gibraltar and Georgia games and they’ve been utterly awful throughout.
Half-time
Ireland have offered very little and are deservedly behind in Switzerland. Nothing very interesting is happening elsewhere.
Check out the HT scores HERE.
45 mins: JR says: “You should have said Lichtsteiner is a well known acting threat, not attacking threat. Dude’s a troublemaker. So is Xhaka. So is Schar. Hopefully one of them get sent off.
“As an Ireland supporter I’m not in the best mood right now but Peter Oh’s Adrian jape made me chuckle.”
Peter claims he was not joking ...
44 mins: Mick McCarthy is on the sideline shouting “Forward! Forward!” which should solve all of Ireland’s problems.
Lichtsteiner goes down once again. He just loves making the most of a challenge. Seferovic chests one down in the area but then smashes the ball 344888 yards over from close range.
42 mins: Whelan swings in a cross for Ireland from the left, which Duffy heads straight into the ‘keeper’s arms.
Geneva pitch update: it has cut up and looks rubbish.
Updated
40 mins: I have a lot of time for John O’Shea referring to everyone by their first name on commentary.
38 mins: Schar gets on the end of a headed clearance, sets himself up for a shot but curls the ball just wide from 25 yards out.
Karl Ruben Weseth asks: “This might be too niche, but: If you have any Hull fans in your audience tonight, maybe they can let me know exactly how ill-advised they think it’s been of Grant McCann to freeze out Henriksen this season. Only asking because he’s been immense so far for Norway this international break, especially for a player who has had no club minutes so far this fall (he means autumn).
“Also, to answer Glenn Kuly’s question about Kepa: he did give away an 90+ minute penalty in the last game, that might have had something to with him being left out for the Sweden game.”
Updated
36 mins: McCarthy has changed things around and his side are now operating with a flat back four and Connolly playing on the left of midfield.
34 mins: Lichtsteiner goes down under aerially pressure from Browne. The Veteran defender rolls around on the floor like he’s been elbowed but the replay shows the midfielder barely touched him. Browne is still booked, though.
32 mins: Coleman and Xhaka have a bit of afters following a foul, resulting in them both being booked and the Irishman accusing the Arsenal midfielder of being lippy.
@Will_Unwin is Big Mick looking through Big Jack's Euro '88 diary and passing parroting tactics from that? Is Maurice Setters alongside him on the bench?
— The Stellarossa (@TheStellaRossa) October 15, 2019
I was only born in 1987, so I will just blindly agree.
30 mins: Well-known attacking threat Lichtsteiner drives inside with the ball where there is lots of space, then whacks one with his left foot from 25 yards but drags it well wide.
28 mins: Peter Oh says: “Re: Glenn Kuly’s question about Spain’s goalkeeping. Yes Kepa, sure De Gea. But what does Adrian have to do to get a look in? Arguably the best Spanish keeper in the Premier League at the moment. Disclaimer: Asked by a Liverpool fan.”
Let’s not be silly, Pete.
26 mins: A rare foray forward for Sweden earns them a corner but it barely clears the first man and is whacked up field by the Spanish defence. They then get into the box once more but Berg is crowded out and the ball once again whacked away. Lustig does finally test De Gea with a low drive but the goalkeeper does well to hold.
24 mins: Embolo is looking bright for Switzerland - in order to stop the striker, Hendrick takes three attempts to tackle him but only succeeds in committing a foul. The hosts get a free-kick around 25 yards from goal but nothing comes of it.
22 mins: The pitch does not seem to have been much of a leveller for Ireland, as Switzerland have adapted to the conditions far better, while the visitors just seem to be knocking it long.
20 mins: Olsen dives to his right to palm away a downward header from Gerard Moreno, making his debut for Spain tonight.
Glenn Kuly ponders: “Any idea why De Gea, not Arrizabalaga, is in net for Spain tonight? Disclaimer: asked by a Chelsea fan.”
I think there is just a process of rotation with Spain at the moment, they’ve made a few changes to the team.
18 mins: The Spain defence are really boosting their passing stats tonight by spending most of the game knocking it back and forth to each other.
GOAL! Switzerland 1-0 Republic of Ireland (Seferovic, 16)
The ball is knocked down to Seferovic on the edge of the box, he gets it onto his left foot and arrows a shot into the corner beyond Randolph.
Updated
15 mins: Darren Randolph’s once yellow kit is now a dark brown colour thanks to his diving around. He might need to change that at the break. Switzerland chuck a cross into the box but that is not an issue for Egan.
13 mins: In the opening 13 minutes, Sweden completed 10 passes to Spain’s 150 or so. Could be a tough night for the Swedes.
11 mins: In Sweden, a corner is swung in from the left, which Rodri forces towards goal from six yards but Olsen is equal to it and pushes the ball wide.
9 mins: Switzerland are just passing the ball around the back, which seems a dangerous policy when the pitch is mainly mud.
7 mins: Xhaka gets the ball 25 yards from goal, cuts onto his left foot and hits a low shot which dips at the last second, skidding off the surface and forces Randolph into a fine save as he tips it round the post.
5 mins: There’s been a few cheap fouls from Ireland early on but the referee has accepted he needs to be lenient in such conditions.
GOAL! Liechtenstein 0-1 Italy (Bernardeschi, 2)
The Italians have made 10 changes for their trip to Liechtenstein but it does not matter as they open the scoring bright and early through Bernardeschi.
2 mins: The pitch looks underwhelming in Geneva and we’ve already seen some long balls and Embolo getting caught in the mud in the corner. Lichtsteiner has earned a free-kick, too, for a forearm to the face from McClean.
Kick-off!
Peep! Peep! Peep! The games have started across the continent.
Granit Xhaka diving into tackles on the pitch in Geneva is going to be incredibly good fun.
It’s also hammering it down in Sweden for their game against Spain. They have also commissioned the world’s biggest flag to get the fans excited before the match. It’s bigger than my country estate (two bed flat)!
The players are out on the pitch in Switzerland and the pitch looks ropey, to say the least. This should be fun ...
John O’Shea is on co-comms? Scenes! He’s slid into this role quickly since retirement.
Peter Oh says: “30,000 kids in the stands in Bucharest? Not only is that going to do number on beer sales in the stadium, but the collective whine and unrest of “Can we go home now? This is booooring!” could overwhelm the stewards and security.”
Some of the kids might have fake IDs, to be fair.
McCarthy says the pitch may be a leveller tonight and feels the conditions might give the Irish an advantage. He praises Switzerland’s style of play and says he’s picked his team to match them. Looks like the team will line up in a 3-5-2 formation with Coleman and McClean as wing-backs.
Classic Teemu ...
Teemu Pukki with a typically classy finish as Finland ran out 3-0 winners against Armenia. pic.twitter.com/4nEoC0ONTX
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 15, 2019
Who will most enjoy the muddy conditions in Switzerland? I am going for Shane Duffy.
Paul has been using the old Twitter ...
@Will_Unwin the Swiss are more use to Basel Will. I don't think they fancy playing in Geneva traditionally
— Paul Roche (@prpau) October 15, 2019
In Bucharest, 30,000 children will attend Romania v Norway after the hosts were sanctioned for ban-worthy behaviour, meaning only minors and their companions can attend. I guess it’s sort of sweet.
Updated
JR has been in touch, he asks: “Do you know where Connolly is lining up? Please don’t tell me on the right. I may not know what the hell I’m talking about. Nevertheless I don’t think he should play on the right.
“Also, though I appreciate some of James McClean’s attributes and past performances I think I’ve seen about enough of him. Also also, Why isn’t Doherty starting? I’d try to find a way to get him in there.
“Expecting defeat but COYBIG and all that anyway.”
I get the feeling Connolly will be on the right. McClean was pretty awful against Georgia it has to be said and I assume Doherty is out to provide a better balance to the side, but who knows?
Here is Barney Ronay on the factors which aided the scenes in Bulgaria last night ...
A decent record ...
1/12 - Republic of Ireland have only lost once in their last 12 competitive away matches (W4 D7 L1), keeping a clean sheet in six of their last nine such games. Resilient. #Euro2020Qualifiers pic.twitter.com/uc5kCMbufp
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 15, 2019
There’s been heavy rain in Geneva and the pitch had to pass an inspection for the game to go ahead, which is slightly worrying. The downpour has stopped and standing water removed.
Updated
I am informed that Mick McCarthy is a frequent visitor to the Cote Brasserie in Blackheath. If his side get a win tonight surely he is going to be in this week to treat himself to the Prestige Menu.
Barney Ronay was in Sofia last night, here is what he said about it:
Finland have just beaten Armenia 3-0, including two almost identical dinks over the ‘keeper from Norwich City striker Teemu Pukki. The win takes Finland one step closer to qualification. They now sit second in the group on 15 points.
Needless to say, last night was a pretty depressing one for football. Hopefully those scenes will not be repeated. Here is the latest from the fallout, following Bulgaria v England game.
Starting lineups: Switzerland v Republic of Ireland
Switzerland: Sommer, Lichtsteiner, Elvedi, Akanji, Embolo, Seferovic, Xhaka, Rodriguez, Zakaria, Mehmedi, Schar.
Republic of Ireland: Randolph, Coleman, Duffy, Egan, Stevens, Whelan, Hendrick, Browne, McClean, Connolly, Collins
Starting lineups: Romania v Norway
Romania: Tărărușanu, Benzar, Rus, Nedelcearu, Bancu, Mitriță, Anton, Marin, Stanciu, Deac, Pușcaș
Norway: Jarstein, Alesaami, Ajer, Hovland, Elabdellaoui, Selnaes, Henriksen, Berge, Johansen, Odegaard, King
Starting lineups: Sweden v Spain
Sweden: Olsen, Lustig, Granqvist, Lindelöf, Bengtsson, Larsson, Olsson, Ekdal, Forsberg, Berg, Quaison.
Spain: De Gea, Carvajal, Albiol, Íñigo Martínez, Bernat, Ceballos, Thiago Alcántara, Rodri, Fabián Ruiz, Oyarzabal, Gerard Moreno
Updated
Good evening!
The key thing this evening is that Switzerland v Republic of Ireland is somehow watchable, as the weekend’s visit to Georgia was utterly dreadful. Starting Aaron Connolly seems to be Mick McCarthy’s only hope as he brought some life to the general woefulness in Tbilisi. Not to mention the fact that a win or a draw for Big Mick’s men would maintain or extend their gap to Switzerland in third as they battle for a place at next summer’s Euros.
“He’s come into the squad, he’s had his cameo at the end, and then of course the question is, could I have played him more?” said McCarthy before the match. “Well, I could have started him and he might not have played very well from the start in a rough and tumble game. He might have scored from the start, all those scenarios.
“But had he started and not played well then that would have been, ‘well, he shouldn’t have had a debut’, usual stuff, which I know is coming.”
Elsewhere, the most intriguing fixture is Sweden against Spain. Admittedly, the Spanish are top of the group by five points, are yet to lose in qualification and only need a draw to confirm place for next summer’s tournament but a victory for the hosts could make things vaguely interesting.
If that doesn’t float your boat, then there’s always Faroe Islands v Malta.
Should be fun!
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