As the minutes ticked by at the Aviva, with the anxious tone of the voices increasingly reflecting the urgency of the situation facing Ireland, the feeling that this evening might leave a positive legacy gradually began to evaporate.
he goal that delivered victory for the guests merely accelerated the sense of foreboding about what was unfolding.
Luxembourg is the stick to beat Stephen Kenny with now, a result that leaves a stench which Ireland bosses find hard to shake off.
On the sideline, the man with a vision for the future was stuck in the horror of the present, watching his side paddling in waters that were supposed to be negotiable. This is the Dubliner’s Cyprus, his Macedonia.
And the fallout from this will be brutal. On Sunday afternoon, the FAI hold an EGM related to procedural changes at administrative level.
Ten games into his tenure, Kenny will inevitably find himself on the agenda when the FAI powerbrokers speak to media in the aftermath.
This was an evening to drain goodwill, and the manager now finds himself relying on the understanding of his employers at the beginning of the campaign, where the expectation was that judgment would come at the end of the road. His task was ultimately to stay competitive, even if qualification was a bridge too far.
This outcome is much harder to defend and a friendly with Qatar on Tuesday is hardly going to deliver anything to convincingly lift the spirits.
In the spine of his team, three young Irishmen taking the baby steps of their career suddenly found themselves landed in a crisis situation as opposed to an opportunity to further their education.
Gavin Bazunu, Jason Knight and Dara O’Shea all belted out the anthem before kick-off, three proud Dubs at the start of a journey that should make them central figures of Irish football in the 2020s.
They were powerless to prevent the decisive moment of this game, the 85th minute shot from Gerson Rodrigues that turned a struggle into a shocker.
Maybe in time the trio will look back on this as an important reminder than nothing comes easy in professional football. Maybe it will teach them that representing your country might be a fantastic honour, yet it can also expose players to extremes of reaction that can test the spirit levels.
Their selection by Kenny was flagged as evidence of a trust in youth but it may be cast in a different light now, a shunning of experience. It would be harsh on the players involved, especially Bazunu who was the best option available to the manager and he may even regret not selecting him in Belgrade.
The closed doors environment has offered an extra insight to the interactions between players. From the outset, Bazunu was vocal, barking instructions and making himself available for the pass whenever defenders were in possession, including on occasions where players seemed unsure about the option he was offering. He dealt with every test, though. If there were issues, they weren’t really of his doing.
Knight was favoured to another Derby County graduate, Jeff Hendrick in midfield. He was prominent from the outset, too, throwing himself into an early tackle to steal possession and he buzzed around with energy, intercepting the ball at times without necessarily looking comfortable with his brief, in a system which he has only fleeting experience of.
Knight is comfortable higher up the park, but spent periods of his time in his own half as Ireland laboured.
Behind him stood O’Shea, the West Brom centre-half, in the centre of a back three formation that the manager stuck with for this game even if it looked as though the additional body was unnecessary at times as a content Luxembourg side with their homework done absorbed everything the hosts had to offer.
On the evidence of recent weeks and months, it’s hard to argue coherently that Shane Duffy or Hendrick would have fared better. Irishmen in the prime of their career are toiling at club level. Matt Doherty and Enda Stevens have been below par in this gathering.
Ireland’s problems run deep. But the winners write the history and now that Kenny has committed to these cubs, he has to stick with them because to row back would be interpreted as losing faith in his own convictions.
He’s on the ropes now, though, and while O’Shea and Knight have already lived through managerial instability at club level, the dream of playing for your country is supposed to be an honour rather than a stressful burden.
They are about to see the other side of it now.
