2018 World Cup Qualifying Group D: Wales v Republic of Ireland (Monday, Cardiff City Stadium, 7.45pm)
THE post-match mixed zone is no place for a striker who should have had a hat-trick but left the field with no goals.
Reporters waited patiently on Shane Long to emerge from the changing rooms on Friday night.
Few expected the Tipperary man to stop and talk about those three gilt-edged misses against Moldova that might well have put his selection in peril against Wales this evening.
With a smile, the 30-year-old stopped and said: “Go on, ask the questions. I know what’s coming!”
The Southampton striker was just relieved his misses didn’t cost the team ahead of tonight’s crucial clash with the Welsh.
“It was a great win but, personally, it was frustrating,” he said.
Long has never been a prolific striker. He’s scored a modest 17 goals in 76 appearances for the Republic of Ireland.
He’s played in every World Cup qualifier in this campaign bar the away game against Austria – and scored just one goal, away to Moldova.
He should have bolstered his goals per game ratio on Friday night – but Long is keeping the faith.
“I didn’t do all that wrong, it just didn’t go for me. I feel over the last three games with Southampton I didn’t really have many chances and [against Moldova] I got three but they just wouldn’t go in for me.
“The first one just went past the post; I couldn’t connect any better with it; the second one was a save and the third one, I don’t know how it went past the post.
“You know, sometimes this happens but I’ll keep getting in the right positions. Thankfully it didn’t cost us.”
Long, the goal hero against Germany two years ago, feels he’s “doing everything right” apart from hitting the net.
Still, Ireland manager Martin O’Neill may resist the temptation of playing two strikers against Wales while Daryl Murphy has put himself in the frame to spearhead the attack after his first-half double that clinched the three points against Moldova.
Long added: “I think if you ask any striker and they go through this stage, it just won’t go in for them, but hopefully the ball will come and hit me in the face and into the goal and it’ll kick on from there.
“I feel like I’m playing well and doing everything right – just hitting the back of the net is the next step and hopefully I can kick on.
“It comes with being a striker – you’re always going to be judged on goals.
“I know it’ll turn right if I keep doing the right things. It would be worse if I was playing badly, nothing was happening for me and the ball was bouncing off me and I wasn’t getting the chances.
“It’s hard not be frustrated. I want to score goals for my country, but I will keep believing.”
Ahead of tonight’s showdown, Long still wasn’t ruling out winning the group although Georgia would have to beat leaders Serbia in Belgrade.
The more likely scenario is trying to nick second place ahead of the buoyant Welsh who are finishing Group D like a train having won their last three games, while the Irish have banked a disappointing four points out of a possible nine from their last three outings.
“I think both teams want to win,” Long said of tonight’s tie in Cardiff.
“Both teams can take first from Serbia if they don’t get the right result. Both teams have everything to gain and everything to lose, so it’s going to be pretty nervous for both teams.
“But, you know, the best team will win on the night and I feel like we’ve got the squad of players to do it - we’ve just got to make sure we turn up on the night.”
