Evan Ferguson scored on his first start to help the Republic of Ireland produce one of the high-scoring football scores of the weekend in a friendly. On an eventful night in Dublin, the 18-year-old frontman, who has six goals in his past 13 appearances for Brighton, needed only 17 minutes to start his account. Every prospective Irish striker has the misfortune of being compared to the remarkable skill of 17-year-old Robbie Keane, who went on to score 68 goals for his country in 146 games. Ferguson, on the other hand, did his prospects of playing against the World Cup runners-up little harm with an instinctive finish and an enterprising all-around performance in the 73 minutes he was allowed.
Before Callum O’Dowda’s goal, a Republic XI with an average age of 23.6 had already taken the lead, but they were pulled back by ferocious long-range strikes from Roberts Uldrikis and Arturs Zjuzins, and it took substitute Chiedozie Ogbene’s 64th-minute goal to win it.
Winning over the 133rd-ranked team in FIFA rankings may mean nothing against France, who are third in the standings, but it may have provided a preview of what the future may hold, with midfielder Will Smallbone, on loan from Southampton at Stoke, also excelling on his professional debut. Ferguson fed the ball out to skipper Matt Doherty on the right, who pulled it back for Smallbone, who crossed swiftly to the far post for O’Dowda to put a diving header past hapless ‘keeper Pavels Steinbors.
Ireland continued to dominate possession, with Smallbone and Doherty combining brilliantly, and Ferguson got in on the act with 14 minutes gone, cutting inside menacingly before hitting high and wide, though his chance would come sooner or later. Caoimhin Kelleher, the keeper, launched the 17th-minute move that led to Doherty’s international debut, with Nathan Collins, Jayson Molumby, and Smallbone combining to set up the cross.
Michael Obafemi recycled his ball beyond the far post, and Ferguson joyously punched it past Steinbors with the help of a deflection from defender Antonijs Cernomordijs. But Kelleher couldn’t stop Uldrikis from pulling his team back into the game 12 minutes before the break with a 30-yard piledriver from nowhere that sailed inside his left post. After Collins, Andrew Omobamidele, Dar O’Shea, and O’Dowda all failed to clear a free-kick, Zjuzins rocketed past Kelleher with a nick off Collins to equalize the game in first-half stoppage time.
Latvia’s confidence grew significantly as the second half progressed, with Ireland appearing to have lost their way, forcing manager Stephen Kenny to respond with a flurry of substitutes, and two of the newcomers made an immediate impact. Mikey Johnston, a Celtic winger who switched allegiance from Scotland, went clear down the left and fired against the foot of the post, but Ogbene pounced on the rebound to restore the Republic’s lead. Six minutes from time, Johnston, who is presently on loan at Vitoria Guimaraes in Portugal, carved his way through the Latvia defense but saw his shot blocked by defender Marcis Oss’ heroic block.
“It’s never easy to deal with players. Injuries can be devastating for young sportsmen. The demands in the leagues they play in are enormous, and this happens from time to time. What we currently have is a large number of players who have come through, which is unique in our history. This has provided us with depth in our squad,” the Republic of Ireland head coach Stephen Kenny said. “Evan, this is his debut appearance, and he has a goal. Something cannot be predicted in the future. He’s still new to the game, and he’s taking everything in stride. Will, after seeing a lot of Stoke recently, I’m really impressed with how he’s progressed. He has introduced new elements to his game, giving us something to ponder about. Mikey, that was a glimpse of what Mikey could be.”
The Republic of Ireland will face France in European Championship Qualification Group B at the Aviva Stadium on Monday at 7.45 p.m. Latvia will play Wales in European Championship Qualification Group D in Cardiff on Tuesday at 7.45 p.m.
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