#2 Irish defenders keep their shape in the first half, but crumble in the second
One wouldn’t have to guess Ireland’s tactics following the goal – sit behind the ball and absorb all the French pressure. They did that quite clinically in the first half. They maintained their shape and discipline to frustrate the French attacking personnel. Wave after wave of French attacks and set pieces were dealt with. Darren Randolph was outstanding in goal, making a series of saves to protect that precious lead.
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It was a first half of mammoth resilience displayed by the Irish team as a defensive unit. However, errors were creeping in late in the first half, which was definitely a sign of physical and mental tiredness from Martin O’Neill’s side. They failed to mark Griezmann for the equaliser and couldn’t handle a long cross towards Olivier Giroud, who knocked it down for Griezmann to smash home and give the hosts the lead. They completely lost their discipline moments later when Shane Duffy was dismissed for denying Griezmann an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
It may have ended in defeat for Ireland, but they definitely went down fighting and must take a lot of credit for giving it their all.
