In a match that lacked quality, the Republic of Ireland won their first game at home in just under a year and ended Hungary’s impressive undefeated run, which stemmed back to September 2022.
The first half saw the Hungarians control the ball and patiently wait for openings, but it was the Boys in Green who took the lead when Adam Idah headed home after 36 minutes.
That lead did not last long, as Adam Lang equalised for his side only four minutes later.
The second half had the feeling of a training game, as the Magyars maintained their dominance in possession without ever creating anything of note. Ireland stood on the edge of their box, defending for their lives, and did not venture forward too often.
That was until late on when Troy Parrott won the ball on the halfway and ran at full pace towards the Hungary net. He had Sammie Szmodics running alongside him, but he opted to go for the goal himself.
Parrott delivered one of the scruffiest finishes you are ever likely to see, nevertheless, it was enough to get the Irish over the line in added time.
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John O’Shea’s tactics are not pretty, but they are effective
Former Ireland boss Stephen Kenny had a reputation for trying to play possession-based football, even when the group of players he had on the pitch were not suited for it.
John O’Shea has had three games in charge now and his style of play is clear for all to see.
The former Manchester United defender has brought Ireland back to the basics. He likes to defend in numbers and then try to get the ball into the channels for one of his front three.
It can make for quite a dull watch, but it cannot be denied that they are finding success with it, having only lost one in their last four.
The Hungarians are a side that always find a way to not lose, but last night it looked as though they had run out of ideas as we got halfway through the second half.
That is a testament to the discipline O’Shea has instilled in his players.
When Ireland visit Portugal in six days, O’Shea’s approach will be the exact same.
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There is no need for Hungary to panic
Although Marco Rossi’s side did not play particularly well last night, there is no need for panic on the streets of Budapest.
Coming into this game, Hungary had not tasted defeat in 14 games. This run includes the entirety of their qualifying campaign for the upcoming UEFA European Championships.
Their Italian-born coach likes his team to be patient and try and dictate the tempo of a game, which they did quite well last night.
Where they struggled was creating anything meaningful. A lot of their efforts on goals were either from distance or particularly tight angles.
The one clear chance they created, they scored from.
With their first games at the Euros just 10 days away, Rossi should not panic and should stick to the plan that has already brought them this far.
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Ireland fans should start feeling optimistic about the future
As mentioned earlier, the Irish were not at their sparkling best last night. But there were some standout performances from a couple of the younger players.
Will Smallbone was particularly impressive on just his eighth appearance for his country.
Liam Scales and Jake O’Brien came off the bench at halftime and bolstered the Ireland defence.
Caoimhin Kelleher was excellent in between the sticks and made several very good saves.
Game-winner, Troy Parrott is still only 22 and has been in excellent form in the Eredivisie this season. Not to mention that Evan Ferguson did not even take part last night, and he is very much seen as the future.
All this to say, that while the last few years have not been kind to Ireland, the future looks bright and should they allow these players to flourish – they could become a very good team in the coming years.
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Everyone looked exhausted
A huge talking point in football at the moment is the sheer number of games that footballers have to play. Most of the players play two or three times a week for their club and are just coming off of a gruelling season.
Last night’s game was going at a fine pace for the first 20 minutes or so but, after that, it slowed down significantly.
Dominik Szoboszlai played 54 times for club and country over the course of the campaign and struggled to contribute to the game. You could see glimpses of quality from the Liverpool midfielder but, all in all, he looked exhausted.
That is just one example, overall, everyone looked lethargic and as though they lacked any motivation for this friendly game.
More must be done to protect players from both physical and mental fatigue, otherwise, we will end up with more games like this, that are played at a walking pace and with no real desire to come out on top.