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Enda Stevens has challenged the Republic of Ireland to keep skipper Seamus Coleman\u2019s Euro 2020 dream alive in his absence when they face Denmark in a winner-takes-all shoot-out next month.<\/p>\nEnda Stevens has challenged the Republic of Ireland to keep skipper Seamus Coleman\u2019s Euro 2020 dream alive in his absence when they face Denmark in a winner-takes-all shoot-out next month.<\/p>\n
Ireland will lower the curtain on their Group D campaign against familiar foes at the Aviva Stadium on a night when victory would almost certainly send them to the finals.<\/p>\n
However, they will have to achieve it without 31-year-old Everton full-back Coleman, who will be suspended following his dismissal for two bookable offenses in Tuesday night\u2019s 2-0 defeat in Switzerland just 10 days after receiving his marching orders for his club at Burnley.<\/p>\n
Asked if that could provide added motivation, Stevens said: \u201cYes, that\u2019s what we\u2019ve got to do, we\u2019ve got to do it for each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeamus is so disappointed in there, but he\u2019ll be the one giving us a pat on the back now against Denmark and he\u2019ll be still leading the line for us. He\u2019ll be cheering us on and giving us that confidence to go out and perform.\u201d<\/p>\n
The game will be the sixth meeting between the sides in two years, a run of fixtures which has resulted to date in four draws and a thumping 5-1 World Cup qualifier victory for the Danes in Dublin.<\/p>\n
That has to change this time around if Ireland are to progress, and Sheffield United defender Stevens, who returned from suspension in Geneva after losing his ever-present tag for the campaign in Georgia three days earlier, is in no mood to pass up that chance.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThey (Switzerland) were saying it was a cup final for them, we said it was a cup final for us tonight. Fortunately we\u2019ve got another cup final now next.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would have taken one win out of two games gets you to the Euros, so we\u2019ve got to look forward to that, and especially being at home in the Aviva Stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully we can really knuckle down and get the three points that we need.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ireland were under the cosh at the Stade de Geneva after Haris Seferovic had fired the home side into an early lead, but they kept themselves in the game, thanks in part to keeper Darren Randolph, who turned away a Seferovic header and then saved Ricardo Rodriguez\u2019s 77th-minute penalty to give them hope until Shane Duffy\u2019s late own goal ended it.<\/p>\n
Stevens said: \u201cHe (Randolph) kept us in the game and we were pushing and pushing, and it was obviously disappointing to concede the second goal in the last minute.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be fair, Darren got me out of jail a few times with corners and that, so he was excellent all night. He\u2019s been doing that at Middlesbrough all throughout the season, so you kind of expect them from him now at this stage.\u201d<\/p>\n