Euro 2016 Recap: Republic Of Ireland Vs Sweden

Fulltime: Republic Of Ireland 1-1 Sweden

Hoolahan (IRL) 48'
Clark (IRL) OG 71'

This is Republic of Ireland versus Sweden at Euro 2016. Or as some pundits would like to put it, Republic of Ireland versus Zlatan Ibrahimovic. This tournament was after all -according to him- , the Ibrahimovic show. And, this is just a few miles from Zlatanville. An entertaining proposal just because of that fact. I did mention Ibrahimovic as one of the players to watch in my preview.

The Show Curtain Opens

The Boys in Green wasted no time, as they attacked the yellow line unrelentingly. Wes Hoolahan and Shane Long tested the grit of the defense with little success. The taller and heftier Swedes were to strong for them. This was an evaluation of their physical skill, more than anything. Derby County midfielder Jeff Hendrick came closest to a break through twice. First, he shot inches over the bar; rattling the top net. And, hit the crossbar on a similar long effort in the 33rd minute. John O'Shea also came inches from getting the opening goal. A redirected corner strayed temptingly in between an open goal and The Sunderland defender, requiring only the faintest touch. No luck there. O'Shea may be an accomplished bruiser at the back, but not an agile striker with cat-quick reflexes.

On the other half of the field, Sweden struggled to stitch-up any decent thrust toward goal. Glen Whelan took it upon himself to shadow the great Ibrahimovic. The Paris Saint-Germain superstar didn't get any easy look at goal. Oftentimes, he took off-balance and very awkward shots. The Irish defense choked him and denied him the ball, and the space from where to operate.

Drama And Disappointment

The second half saw Sweden having a wee bit more success moving forward. The channel towards Ibrahimovic remained shut, though. Without Ibra, the chance for success was very slim. Not impossible, but close to it.

This opened up the tight grip Sweden imposed on their own half. In the 47th minute, a poor clearance from Blågult ended on the boot of Everton right-winger, Seamus Coleman. A clearly panicked defense allowed him to waltz in to the box and deftly pick-out an open Hoolahan. A helpless Andreas Isaksson couldn't react quickly as the ball hits the back of the net. One-nil.

At this point, it looked like Republic of Ireland will breeze through to a win. But of course, Ibrahimovic had to have a say. The men in green looked tense after the hour mark. And at the 71 minutes, it happened! Ibrahimovic struck a low speculative cross, from an awkward angle, just inches from the end line. The mere presence of the towering Swede must have rattled a usually composed Ciaran Clark, who heads the ball into his own net. One-one. What followed was a chaotic rush by the Irish to snatch all three points. Robbie Keane of the LA Galaxy led the onslaught. However, the charge fell short. massive letdown there.

The Bad Tackle

Republic of Ireland gave a very good account of themselves in this game. They worked hard together at both ends of the pitch. The collective work ethic was there. They proved that they are capable of creating chances and shots. What is lacking is the accuracy to convert those shots into goals. Oh, and they could do with a little bit of luck too.

As most pundits pointed out, Sweden would look ordinary without Ibrahimovic. You take him out of the picture for 90 minutes, then you have a big chance of overcoming the team. For them to progress -and for the future of Swedish football- they need to shake-off their dependence on Ibra's presence. One more thing, Zlatan Ibrahimovic still needs to convince me that he deserves to be in a Manchester United kit when the Premier League starts in August. He needs to do it here at Euro 2016!