“I think we had 40 crosses in the game,” said Heimir Hallgrímsson late on Saturday night. And he was almost right. The actual number was probably more like 47, although maybe that depends on what your definition of a cross is.
Does a long throw count as a cross? Does a corner? How about a free-kick? Logic probably insists that if you include one, you have to include all three. Across the evening, Ireland sent four long throws, four free-kicks and three corners into the Hungary box. Include them all and it’s 47 crosses for the night. Take them out and it’s 36.
Want to know how they all shook out? Of course you do. Let’s go on a journey of discovery together. We might learn something by the end of it. Either that or we’ll just be left cross-eyed.
(Cross No 1) 10 mins: Incredibly, given all that came after, Ireland didn’t cross the ball once until the 10th minute. Again, the definition police might have something to say about this one – was Jake O’Brien’s ball for Finn Azaz a cross or a pull-back? Either way, it was played too heavily and Azaz could only screw it wide.
(2-4) 17-19 mins: Ireland’s next three crosses were long throws from O’Brien. None of them came to anything.
(5-6) 24-28 mins: Two Ryan Manning efforts – one knocked down by Sammie Szmodics, leading to a free against Josh Cullen, the other scuffed disappointingly along the ground.
(7-8) 36-38 mins: O’Brien in space, cleared. O’Brien long throw, cleared. Crowd, grumbling.
(9) 38 mins: Manning crossed to the back post, Matt Doherty came steaming in but could only meet it with his shoulder. The ball bounced harmlessly to Dénes Dibusz in the Hungary goal.
(10) 47 mins: Szmodics whipped in the first cross of the second half. It was behind Evan Ferguson and easily cleared.
(11) 54 mins: The first cross from a Manning free, headed back across by Doherty but bundled wide by O’Brien.
Ireland’s Ryan Manning prepared for a free-kick. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
(12-17) 56-57 mins: Six crosses in 90 seconds. Three from Jason Knight, one each from Manning, O’Shea and Nathan Collins. All cleared without fuss.
(18) 59 mins: After and hour of football and 18 crosses, finally a chance worthy of the name. Cullen floated a lovely ball for Manning to come crashing on to at the back post but he headed over.
(19-20) 63-64 mins: Azaz corner, O’Shea wide. Azaz cross, headed clear.
(21-22) 65 mins: O’Brien is an unlikely looking attacking wing-back but his crossing in the second half was exceptional. This one got put out for a corner. Manning swung it in and Collins got something on it but not enough.
(23) 66 mins: Another O’Brien cross fizzed in, another Collins effort off the mark.
(24-25) 69-72 mins: Chiedoze Ogbene was on by now and he got on the end of two Manning crosses in a row. The first, he knocked down and got penalised by the ref. The second, he kept his hands to himself and found Azaz this time. Brilliant save from Dibusz.
(26-29) 73-75 mins: Another spell of four crosses in 90 seconds as Ireland bombarded the Hungary box. But none of them came to anything. Azaz, Ogbene (twice) and Manning all tried but couldn’t find an Irish head.
(30) 77 mins: Decent chance. Manning clipped in a free for Ferguson to knock down. Ogbene drew another good save from Dibusz. The pressure was building all the time by now.
(31-33) 78-81 mins: And yet, for all Ireland’s bluster, Hungary were holding out pretty comfortably. A Knight cross for O’Shea ended in yet another free out. Ogbene, looking willing but rusty, had another easily cleared. Mikey Johnston came on and his first act was to send a corner into the near post. Goal kick.
Ireland’s Jake O’Brien. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
(34) 84 mins: Knight cross, cleared.
(35) 85 mins: Johnston cross, cleared.
(36) 86 mins: Knight to Adam Idah, came to nothing.
(37) 86 mins: Johnston cross, cleared.
(38-39) 88-89 mins: Two Manning free kicks, both came to nothing.
(40) 90 mins: Idah swung a great ball in for Collins but the Ireland captained misjudged his jump it and didn’t connect.
(41) 91 mins: O’Brien with another fine cross, Idah back across goal, Hungary blootered it clear.
(42) 92 mins: Manning was getting tired and this was a tired cross, readily cleared.
(43) 92 mins: Jack Taylor fired one in head height for Ferguson to knock down to nobody in particular. Most of the ground seemed pretty much resigned to Ireland’s fate at this stage. They came, they crossed, they failed. Ho-hum.
(44) 93 mins: Except, no! Manning found space on the left, sent away by a clever ball from Johnston and a pinpoint ball put it on a plate for Idah to equalise.
(45-46) 95-96 mins: Ireland kept coming and kept crossing. Collins and O’Brien sent in tired efforts that Hungary, equally tired, managed to clear.
(47) 97 mins: One last go. Fittingly, it was Manning who had it, lofting one across on the bounce for O’Shea. It was slightly behind him but it was a really good chance to get a winner. Oh well.
So, 47 crosses later and where did we land? Manning (15) and O’Brien (9) put in 24 crosses between them; take out setpieces and they had 15 between them. Chances created? Probably half a dozen, at a push. True, Hallgrimsson’s Ireland won’t always play like this – the game took on a set pattern after the sending-off.
But half a dozen chances from 47 crosses isn’t really good enough. Especially when 37 of them were against a team that was down to 10 men.