It may have come in his 11th cap but David McGoldrick can say his first international goal was well timed, as it earned a point that sustains Irish belief in qualification for Euro 2020. That ambition looked far-fetched after Fabian Schär shot Switzerland into the lead, but Ireland, second best for much of the game, rallied to earn a draw.
Going into this game Mick McCarthy had not been fooled by his team’s position at the top of Group D, knowing Ireland had benefited from a more favourable early schedule than their chief rivals, especially Switzerland. The Swiss have played fewer qualifiers because they spent the summer trying to reach Euro 2020 through the Nations League, where they finished fourth as a result of that penalty shootout defeat by England in June. So the group’s top seeds arrived in Dublin on a catch-up mission made all the more necessary by their recent draw with Denmark.
Written by Paul Doyle at the Aviva Stadium
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/sep/05/republic-ireland-switzerland-euro-2020-qualifier-match-report under the title “David McGoldrick earns Ireland vital point with header against Switzerland”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
