McClean sees red as Ireland and Wales share points in Nations League

11-Oct-2020 15:08:54 | Guardian

Both countries got a point from this Nations League meeting but in most other senses it was pointless, which is not to say it will be without consequences. The wisdom of persisting with international competition in the midst of a pandemic was cast into further doubt by a raft of Irish withdrawals before the game and the barren spectacle that followed. The fact it ended with Ireland being reduced to 10 men because of a red card for James McClean compounded an unhappy week for Stephen Kenny.

The Irish manager’s preparations were disrupted by the news on Saturday night that one of his players – whom the FAI did not publicly identify – tested positive for the coronavirus and four ‘close contacts’ - John Egan, Callum Robinson, Callum O’Dowda and Alan Browne - had to go into isolation. That took the total number of Irish players missing for Covid 19-related reasons to seven, with Aaron Connolly and Adam Idah also absent owing to their proximity to a FAI staff member who tested positive earlier in the week, though it has since transpired that the result of that test was inaccurate. So Ireland were in rag order as they sought to rouse themselves four days after their penalty shootout defeat in Slovakia.