Seamus Coleman issued a strong defence of his team-mate Ciaran Clark after the own goal that earned Sweden a point against the Republic of Ireland in their Euro 2016 opener at the Stade de France.
Clark headed Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s cross into his own net to bring Sweden level after Wes Hoolahan had given Ireland a deserved lead just after half-time.
However, Coleman believes there was little Clark could have done to prevent the ball going into the net or reaching the waiting Sebastian Larsson.
He said: “Ah Clarkie is a very experienced and mature. He knows. No one is pointing the finger or anything like that.
“I thought he was brilliant, with some unbelievable defensive headers and to be honest it was a tough one. There was not much [he could have done]. The ball came in at pace and he was in that area. It’s a difficult one to defend.
“[Ciaran] Clarkie and Josh [John O’Shea] kept the big man [Zlatan Ibrahimovic] quiet for large periods of the game, but unfortunately they got the goal. I thought we were quiet dominant and maybe sat back a bit too much after we scored.”
Coleman said he was frustrated by the limited opportunities to get forward, but he made one of his few opportunities count by picking out an unmarked Hoolahan at the back post.
“I didn’t get the ball out that side as I would have liked tonight,” he said. “Robbie [Brady] had a great game down the left and a lot of balls were coming down that side.
“So when I got it I just wanted to make something happen and beat my man and put it in an area. All credit has to go to Wes. It was an unbelievable finish. I just put it in the area and he put it away.”
The Everton full-back also dismissed suggestions that the concession of the goal after period of Irish dominance would deflate the team before they take on the group’s top seeds, Belgium and Italy.
“I wouldn’t say it felt like a defeat. It’s a point on the board,” he declared.
“It’s disappointing all the same not to see it out. We were quite dominant for a lot of the game and had a lot chances, but we didn’t get three points.
“We go into Saturday’s game now and we know that we’re a hard team to beat and not many teams will like playing us. We’ll be looking for three points in the next couple of games.”
