- Lee Carsley led England to victory in his first match
- Rice and Grealish, former Ireland players, scored key goals
- England dominated the first half, securing a comfortable win
Perhaps Lee Carsley was simply absorbed by the first few minutes of his first game as England’s interim manager. Because when the manager came out to take his position before kickoff and, yes, before the anthems, he turned right rather than left and sat on the Republic of Ireland bench.
Old habits die long for the former Ireland midfielder, and he appeared unconcerned when the blunder was pointed out and he was directed to his proper position. However, if that seemed like a bad portent, no one in England should have panicked.
Carsley, as advertised, stayed stony-faced when God Save the King played, but his team’s first-half performance would have thrilled him as he began what is effectively a six-game audition for the permanent post.
Declan Rice and Jack Grealish, former Ireland internationals who later switched allegiances, knew it would be a hot occasion.
Carsley was also booed by his local fans. However, it was Rice and Grealish who scored the goals that put England in command before the break, and they were the most eye-catching performances throughout that excellent spell, allowing England to cruise to victory in a more pedestrian second half.
England had been notoriously stodgy under Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024, despite reaching the final, and Carsley, if anything, required a performance rather than a result. He got it in the first half. A new period has a foundation stone.
The first loud boos for Rice and Grealish came when the teams were announced around 40 minutes before kickoff when there were only a few people inside the stadium. “The snakes are back,” said one banner in the home seats. Then, of course, there was Carsley and Anthemgate.
Carsley, who was never going to sing, felt the heat of the TV cameras, and there must have been occasions during this particular England storm when he thought about how football is only one aspect of his new office. How does he feel about this?
The game was much bigger than it would have been when Southgate took over as England’s manager, with Carsley receiving a lot of attention.
“Lee, you’re one result away from being an Irish legend,” said a billboard in town for a gimmicky bookmaker.
When Rice or Grealish gained possession, the decibel levels increased dramatically, but neither shrank. It was seen from a distance.
Grealish, playing to the left of a central midfield three, demanded the ball from the start, hoping to carry it and invite challenges and confrontations, and it had to be Rice who scored the breakthrough goal.
Trent Alexander-Arnold stood out, moving from right-back to midfield and distributing with precision. He had previously set up Harry Kane for a free header, which the captain hit high when he put Anthony Gordon clean through. Caoimhín Kelleher saved, but Gordon recycled the move and crossed low for Kane, who was blocked by Nathan Collins’ block tackle. When the ball broke, Rice lashed high into the net.
Ireland had faltered in the first few minutes. Jayson Molumby crossed from a corner, while Sammie Szmodics tested Jordan Pickford. They tried to push, but the gap in technical quality was immediately noticeable. Carsley might be happy with how England manipulated the ball. They found space in front of Ireland’s defense and up the channels, with Gordon posing a threat on the left. The movement and rotation were smooth.
Carsley assigned Rice a right-sided No 8 role, with Kobbie Mainoo holding in front of the back four, and Rice thrived when he could prolong his stride.
With 15 minutes on the clock, he led a box-to-box counter, feeding Gordon, who crossed for Kane. It appeared to be a straightforward close finish for Kane, but Kelleher made an outstanding block.
Rice’s celebrations for his goal were restrained and quiet. Grealish, on the other hand, relished the England fans’ ovation behind the goal. Rice was vital to the buildup, exchanging passes with Mainoo and then Bukayo Saka before crossing low for Grealish, who finished with a right-footed shot inside the far corner.
Gordon may have scored after half an hour on another sharp England move, and there were whistles from the Ireland fans at halftime for a different reason: they were dissatisfied with their team.
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The atmosphere was noticeably subdued when the second half resumed. It had been impossible to find any pre-match optimism among the Irish fans, and it was as if they had realized they could be in for a long second half. Irish football is at an all-time low, with everyone feeling depressed after years of loss.
Heimir Hallgrímsson, the new manager, needed a spark. He changed Szmodics’ position just before the hour, shifting him inside from the wing to be closer to Adam Idah, the striker. Szmodics had a couple of chances, particularly when he smashed a shot off target following a pull-back by Chiedozie Ogbene. He also set up Molumby, who fired wildly.
England’s intensity fell, and it appeared like Carsley needed to make substitutes. Surprisingly, he waited until the 76th minute to make his debuts with Angel Gomes and Morgan Gibbs-White as part of a triple substitution. Grealish was one of the players he removed, and he left at a slow pace after applauding the English fans. He had enjoyed himself.
England might have scored again. Kelleher denied substitute Jarrod Bowen twice, the second from close range, and he also made a brilliant save from Saka. England and Carsley had enough.
