Chris Coleman insisted that he was proud of his players even as Wales’ hopes of qualifying for the World Cup suffered a dent in the draw against Ireland.
Ten-man Wales held Republic of Ireland to a 0-0 draw at the Aviva Stadium on Friday in a result that further depleted their chances of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
It was a match where the chances came few and far between for both sides, as Ireland sat deep in their own half, looking content to play out a draw. Gareth Bale twice went close to breaking the deadlock for Wales, while Ireland pushed on for a goal late into the match following what was the biggest talking point of the match.
Wales defender Neil Taylor was shown a straight red card after he put in a wild tackle on Seamus Coleman that ended with the Ireland captain’s season ending with a horrific leg injury.
However in the end, it is Wales who were the biggest losers on the night but manager Chris Coleman declared that he proud of the efforts his players put in, especially after going a man down.
He was speaking in his post-match interview with Sky Sports as he said, ” It was a typical British derby. I thought 11 v 11 we really controlled the game and weren’t really in any trouble. We were the team who looked like we were going to create something and score.”
Coleman then acknowledged that Neil Taylor’s red card was the major turning point in the match, as it shifted the momentum, meaning Wales had to dig deep and defend resolutely. He added, ” The red changed everything. We are in their backyard and they are very strong and the crowd are fantastic.”
” We were up against it for 20-25 minutes but I am proud of the players. They battled through and dug in. We had to show a different side of our game, from controlling it and passing the ball we had to go to a defensive game and see it out which we did.”
While Wales must be given due credit for doing a superb job of holding Ireland, who held a massive numerical advantage, the reality now is that their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup are now hanging by a slim thread.
That is despite Coleman’s side still being unbeaten in their qualifying campaign. But, four consecutive draws have now meant that they are a massive four points adrift of Ireland and Serbia. Their next match will see them visit Belgrade to take on Serbia, and they are set to be without their talisman and captain, Gareth Bale.
That match in June will give a clearer picture of Wales’ credentials of making it to the World Cup, with the picture looking very grim at the halfway stage of the qualifying campaign.
