Only another night of razor-sharp Darren Randolph reflexes stopped the Republic of Ireland from slumping to defeat at the Aviva Stadium as they played out an uninspiring stalemate with Northern Ireland.
Gavin Whyte and Jordan Jones were denied in each half by the Middlesbrough stopper who superbly faced both men down in one-on-one situations.
The hosts looked disjointed and low in confidence, labouring throughout and only threatening off setpieces, with Shane Duffy and Darragh Lenihan headers rare attempts on goal.
The North – who have now failed to score in their last seven away games - will head into their final Nations League match against Austria buoyed by a decent showing in Dublin, but Martin O’Neil will surely hope for more from his team in Monday’s must-win game against Denmark.
Michael Obafemi, the Southampton attacker who had earlier put an end to speculation about his international future by declaring himself "all in" with the Boys in Green, stayed on the bench, and Sean Maguire limped off 13 minutes after coming on as a sub.
In need of a morale-boost against the neighbours, Ireland got the cold shoulder, the home fans heading for the exits long before the final whistle.
The Official Man of the Match goes to Ireland keeper Darren Randolph! What a performance from the Wicklow man! #COYBIG #IRLNIR pic.twitter.com/m1u3DZPXqF
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) November 15, 2018
The teamsheet had made for positive reading.
Robbie Brady made his first start in a year, while Seamus Coleman also returned having missed the Nations League games against Denmark and Wales. Blackburn Rovers’ Darragh Lenihan earned a first senior start.
McClean and Coleman flanked midfield trio Jeff Hendrick, Brady and captain Glenn Whelan with Callum O’Dowda more advanced in in a 3-5-2 formation.
Duffy, Egan and Lenihan lined up at the back and Robinson led the line.
After both sets of fans jeered each other’s national anthems, the players went about doing their best impression of the Brexit negotiations: lots of sweaty bluster that mostly went nowhere.
The stadium fizzed with a mixture of cheers and jeers every time McClean got his foot on the ball. Never one to shy away from the boo-boys, the Derryman was a willing outlet in the early exchanges.
Ireland’s first shot in anger came eight minutes in from a throw-in the Stoke winger won down the left, Hendrick eventually teeing up Robinson to have a strike that was deflected out for a corner.
Two minutes later Robinson brilliantly slipped Coleman through but the flag went up just as he squared it for McClean to tap home.
With 14 minutes on the clock, the North spurned a glorious chance to break the deadlock.
Ireland were caught cold from a long punt forward. Liam Boyce found Stuart Dallas with a clever overhead and he laid it on to Whyte, who had the freedom of Lansdowne Road as he trotted into the box. Only a terrific stop from the sprawling Randolph denied the Oxford United man but it was a warning shot.
The home side’s best chances in the first half both came from a tried and trusted resource – dead balls. First, a 22nd-minute free-kick was bent in by Brady; the towering Duffy met it first, nodding into the turf only to see the dropping ball tipped over the bar by Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
Thirteen minutes later, after O’Dowda was bundled over by George Saville on the right wing, debutant Lenihan got on the end of another Brady special but his header was straight at the visiting keeper.
Sandwiched in between those Irish chances was a Steven Davis free-kick that clipped the head of Duffy in the wall and soared onto the stands, acting as the cue for Whelan to make way for Aston Villa clubmate Conor Hourihane, the veteran receiving a great reception from the home fans in what was, in all likelihood, his final international appearance.
It was scrappy fare but the visitors looked the more threatening, Four minutes before half-time a sloppy Lenihan pass allowed the North to break. Dallas hared through the middle of the park and twisted away from Duffy before curling a low strike goalwards that Randolph read, and saved.
Ronan Curtis replaced O’Dowda at half-time to make his debut, filling in on the right side of a five-man midfield.
But the pattern of the game remained the same. Curtis tried, and failed, to keep in a Robinson through-ball; McClean failed to pull off a nodback that would have freed Robinson; the rusty-looking Brady sliced an outside-of-the-boot pass to Coleman that flew out of touch.
The game was crying out for a moment of inspiration. The natives were on their feet just before the hour mark when Coleman’s crossfield ball dropped to McClean on the left side of the box. He drilled a low strike across goal with Robinson skieing an attempted conversion.
McClean’s withdrawal on 66 minutes for Enda Stevens got the noise levels up again as both sets of fans had another go at their jeering/cheering competition.
Still the Republic of Ireland failed to find any decent rhythm. The excellent Steven Davis chased down everything in green that moved, and they went close again when Randolph could only parry a volleyed cross from the right almost allowing Boyce to toe in the loose ball.
Ultimately, the Middlesbrough stopper did well to fingertip it away from the Northern Irishman’s boot.
Three minutes later, another huge let-off. Lenihan’s heavy touch allowed Jones to pick his pocket and race through on goal but Randolph did exceptionally well again to block his low strike with a telescopic left leg.
The North looked hungrier and pacier now. Davis’s clever pass was inches away from finding Lafferty in the box after a slick forward move; left-back Lewis nutmegged Curtis with a cute backheel. The away fans bounced and roared as they sniffed victory.Home morale sank further when Sean Maguire, on as a sub for Robinson, hobbled off 13 minutes later.
After that flurry, things petered out, inevitably limping to a goalless draw that was greeted with a chorus of home boos.
Roll on Aarhus.
Republic of Ireland: Darren Randolph; Seamus Coleman, Shane Duffy, John Egan, Darragh Lenihan (Cyrus Christie 84 mins), James McClean (Enda Stevens 66 mins), Glenn Whelan (capt, Hourihane 36 mins), Robbie Brady, Jeff Hendrick, Callum O’Dowda (Ronan Curtis 45 mins), Callum Robinson (Sean Maguire 66 mins, Scott Hogan 79 mins)
Northern Ireland: Bailey Peacock-Farrell; Jamal Lewis, Jonny Evans, George Saville, Steven Davis, Liam Boyce (Kyle Lafferty 71 mins), Corry Evans (Paddy McNair 65 mins), Stuart Dallas, Gavin Whyte (Jordan Jones 61 mins), Craig Cathcart, Michael Smith (Jamie Ward 74 mins)
