It has been a tough international break for the Republic of Ireland.
They lost to Slovakia on penalties in the semi-finals of their Euro 2021 play-off and have had illnesses in the camp to deal with too.
A drab 0-0 draw against Wales on Sunday was followed up by a 1-0 loss in Finland last night.
The winning goal came after West Ham goalkeeper Darren Randolph gave the ball away from a short goal kick.
Speaking on ITV’s Nations League Highlights show at 12:41am, 15/10, former Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane commented on Randolph’s mistake.
“They gave a shocking goal away tonight,” said Keane. “It’s well and good, the manager’s philosophy, he wants to play out from the back.
“This comes down to decision making from players. Ireland, here, they’re away from home, under pressure. Just relax!
“You’ve got an experienced goalkeeper here in Randolph – bad decision and even worse execution. Why a player would do that… decision making from an experienced goalkeeper. Crazy, crazy.
“He doesn’t play week-in, week-out and sometimes that’s why the sharpness isn’t there.”
It was a wayward pass from Randolph and it cost Ireland dearly, there’s no doubt about it.
Keane did try and cut the Hammers man some slack, saying he’s not playing every week at club level.
It is tricky for players who aren’t playing regularly, although perhaps the bigger issue was just that Randolph tried to rush the pass.
Either way, it won’t have made David Moyes think again about his goalkeeping pecking order.
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