It was a night of contrasting fortunes for the Republic of Ireland’s two full-backs as Martin O’Neill’s side emerged with a 1-1 draw from their foggy duel with Bosnia and Herzegovina in Zenica.
Seamus Coleman was one of the stand-out performers in a back line that produced a solid defensive display, while Stephen Ward’s lack of matches for Burnley was all too evident as he had a torrid evening against Bosnian winger Edin Visca.
"Since the last game I have gone another month without playing. It’s something that I’m going to have to address because it’s difficult to step into games like this" - Stephen Ward
O’Neill had sprung a surprise in selecting him for last month’s home win over world champions Germany and had expressed confidence that he could once again overcome his latch of match sharpness.
Ward has actually seen more action in an Ireland shirt than a Burnley one this season, as he has struggled get into Sean Dyche’s plans at Turf Moor.
It’s something he plans to rectify, one way or another, when he returns to his club.
“It was difficult to be honest with you,” Ward said afterwards.
“Since the last game I have gone another month without playing. It’s something that I’m going to have to address because it’s difficult to step into games like this.
“If we had a fully fit squad I may not have started, but I was happy to go out there and give it my best.”
Ward picked up a booking for pulling back Visca in the first half and while O’Neill praised his performance as “gallant”, he did admit that he took him off because he was concerned that he could pick up a second yellow card as he tired in the game.
Visca had a lot of joy down Ireland’s left side as Bosnia were the dominant force in the opening period and Ward acknowledged that their attacking approach and formation had come as a surprise.
“It was difficult and a tough start to the game," he said. "We knew the way they played, but they surprised us a bit and went four up front right from the off so we were penned in a bit.
“We stuck at it. We stuck in there and we’re happy with the result.
“They’re good players and you have to respect them, but we defended well and kept them at bay for most of the game.
“We’re the away team and the onus was on them to come out and attack us but we kept it tight.”
A heavy fog descended on the Stadion Bilino Polje at the start of the second half making conditions more difficult, with Coleman saying he found it tough to see the action coming down Ireland’s left.
“It was very difficult,” he told reporters. “In the second half it kept getting worse and worse.
“You know, where I was in the right-back position it was quite difficult to see the far side of the pitch. I’m just glad the game didn’t have to stop because it was quite bad.”
Coleman had his own tricky opponent to keep an eye on, with Lazio’s Senad Lulic a constant threat that needed to be kept in check, which limited his chances to burst forward.
There was obvious disappointment about the concession of the late equaliser but Coleman was delighted with the overall defensive performance, particularly from the two in the middle, Richard Keogh and Ciaran Clark.
He said: “Yeah they looked a bit lively. They were going down the right which means they have to cross it to my area so I had to be aware at times and try and snuff out any danger. They are a threat. They have good players.
“You have to defend well, especially when you come away to places like this. It’s always going to be difficult and you know that you have to defend well.
“I think the two centre-halves did very well. They gave us a platform to go on and score the goal. It’s a pity we conceded.”
The universal message afterwards was that it is all to play for in Dublin on Monday, but the words and body language of Irish players suggested they will be the happier side going into that game.
