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Robbie Brady was denied by the crossbar as the Republic of Ireland\u2019s Nations League campaign ended with a whimper to leave manager Stephen Kenny still awaiting his first win.<\/p>\nRobbie Brady was denied by the crossbar as the Republic of Ireland\u2019s Nations League campaign ended with a whimper to leave manager Stephen Kenny still awaiting his first win.<\/p>\n
On a night when victory would have secured Ireland\u2019s place in pot two for the forthcoming World Cup draw, they were unable to find the back of the net for a seventh successive match \u2013 they have now not scored in 11 hours of football \u2013 as they scrapped their way to an uneventful 0-0 draw with depleted Bulgaria in Dublin.<\/p>\n
Brady\u2019s 68th-minute effort was as close as they came to ending Kenny\u2019s barren run at the eighth attempt, but avoiding defeat means Ireland will remain in League B, if only just, at the expense of the Bulgarians.<\/p>\n
Such has been the upheaval within the Ireland camp as a result of positive coronavirus tests and injuries in the last 10 days that two members of the starting line-up \u2013 debutant Ryan Manning and 19-year-old Derby midfielder Jason Knight \u2013 were not even included in the initial squad.<\/p>\n
The home side started nervously and might have been made to pay when Brazilian-born full-back Cicinho was allowed to run into the penalty area and pull the ball back for striker Bozhidar Kraev, although his attempt was blocked at source.<\/p>\n
Ireland repeatedly surrendered possession cheaply as they attempted to establish a rhythm and it was Bulgaria, with Kristiyan Malinov conducting from the middle of the field, who looked the more fluent as the half wore on.<\/p>\n
James Collins only just failed to reach fellow striker Ronan Curtis\u2019 deflected 17th-minute cross at the far post but goalkeeper Darren Randolph, winning his 50th cap, had to field Dimitar Iliev\u2019s deflected effort 10 minutes later after Knight, who had looked assured until that point, played a blind pass into his path in an attempt to find skipper Shane Duffy.<\/p>\n
The half-hour mark came and went with Kenny\u2019s men having produced as tepid and incoherent a display as they had during the new manager\u2019s reign to date, and Duffy\u2019s diving header from a 32nd-minute free-kick \u2013 still seemingly their main route to goal \u2013 did little to relieve the tedium.<\/p>\n
Defender Kristian Dimitrov landed a 35th-minute header on the roof of Randolph\u2019s goal, but Collins might have done better at the other end six minutes before the break when he met Daryl Horgan\u2019s clipped cross at the far post, but could not keep his effort down.<\/p>\n
Collins hooked Dara O\u2019Shea\u2019s 54th-minute cross into the side-netting, but it was Curtis who should have broken the deadlock seconds later when, having been played in by Knight, he blazed high over from the edge of the box with just Lukov to beat.<\/p>\n
Randolph almost compounded the striker\u2019s error when he made a mess of an attempted drag-back with Kraev bearing down on him, and Duffy had to throw himself into the path of Dimitrov\u2019s shot from point-blank range after a 67th-minute corner had been allowed to reach him at the far post.<\/p>\n
Ireland\u2019s response was instant and Brady was desperately unfortunate not to open the scoring when he cut inside Aleksandar Tsvetkov and unleashed a dipping shot which flew across Lukov but came back off the crossbar.<\/p>\n
Kenny\u2019s men threw everything they had in the quest for a winner as time ran down, but it was not to be.<\/p>\n