Bosnia have better players than Ireland but they struggled to establish any sort of dominance in this game on Friday and if they dont play a more composed game in Dublin on Monday they simply will not come away with a result.
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It was as if they believed Ireland would fall apart when faced with their tight ground and zealous home support.
Victories over minnows Gibraltar and then Georgia in September were imperative if the Republic were to keep their hopes alive, but it was the stunning 1-0 win against world champions Germany last month which barged the door open once again. However, Bosnia did scored a vital goal through Edin Dzeko and so this makes the second leg very important now for both sides.
O’Neill choked the Bosnian supply by packing midfield.
Ireland have drawn six of the 13 playoff games they’ve played since 1966.
Central defender Ciaran Clark, who along with Richard Keogh limited Dzeko and strike-partner Vedad Ibisevic to a handful of openings, had a prized clean sheet wrenched from his grasp, but quickly turned his attention to preventing a recurrence in Dublin.
“I will put them in because the experience they have garnered in the last 15 years and because I have to be mindful of the fact the three substitutions could be crucial if we have to play more than 90 minutes”.
The Republic have qualified for a second successive Euros after reaching Poland and Ukraine in 2012, where they were knocked out of the group stages, and former midfielder Graham Kavanagh believes they have a chance to do better this time.
The timing was flawless for Ireland. “A 27-year-old Robbie Keane would be in the side, home or away”.
“We’re a little disappointed, I think we showed lots of desire”, he said.
After Bosnia failed to deliver with home advantage Ireland must take the hint and not think that this tie is over.
I would have certainly taken a 1-1 draw before kick off last Friday and with the game finishing that way on the night we all had something to cheer for.
With Martin O’Neill’s message of “we need a win” ringing in their ears, Ireland outplayed Bosnia on the night and were worthy winners over both legs.
“They have given everything and I don’t think they had anything left to give”. Interestingly, Bosnia played a friendly match in Ireland once before and that ended in a defeat for them back 2012. He’s a good quality player and a seasoned pro that has played in the Premier League for a very long time.
Despite boasting a slim advantage, O’Neill insists that his players must try to remain “on the front foot” from the beginning in the second leg, considering the threat posed by players such as Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic.
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But O’Neill is not paying attention to the knockers as Ireland look for one more big performance under his watch. I always felt those points might be important so they proved.
