Stephen Kenny described defeat at the Estadio Algarve as a kick in the teeth and hailed his heroic players following a last-gasp defeat at the hands of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Ireland manager surprised many with his team selection for the World Cup qualifier in Portugal, however, his new-look side rose to the occasion and were on the verge of victory in the 89th minute when Ronaldo rose twice to break the goalscoring world record and break Irish hearts simultaneously.
Playing primarily on the counterattack in the first half, Kenny said that the game-plan was working perfectly with Aaron Connolly and Adam Idah proving the perfect outlets, while restricting the home side to the minimum of chances.
Kenny admitted that his side were under pressure in the second half as Portugal increased the intensity, but felt that his team were denied a deserved victory, which he believed would have been one of the greatest Irish results in history.
A game full of talking points, Portugal were awarded a controversial penalty, which was saved by Gavin Bazunu, while the officials failed to act on an off-the-ball Ronaldo slap on Dara O'Shea amidst the madness of the penalty VAR review.
John Egan handed Ireland a vital lead on the stroke of half-time and while Kenny’s side defended with their lives throughout the second half, two textbook Ronaldo headers handed all three points to the group leaders.
🇵🇹 2-1 🇮🇪
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Ireland manager Stephen Kenny says Portugal are a brilliant team but questions some of the officials' decisions. 'The players have been heroic. It's a tough one to lose.'
📱 Report: https://t.co/uSppZEqGtK#PORIRL #WorldCup2022 #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/cz93hTXEbC
"I thought we were very brave in the first half in possession and passed it really well, counterattacked really well, everything we wanted to happen happened in terms of Adam Idah and Aaron Connolly’s pace on the counter," said Kenny, speaking to RTE Sport after the game.
"They didn’t really have many chances, one chance really in the first half and I felt we were comfortable.
"The second half was harder for us, they had some good possession, but we missed some chances on the break."
"We were only a minute away from what would have been Ireland’s best qualification victory away from home, so we are absolutely gutted.
"I’m gutted for the players, they were heroic in terms of how much they left out there; they have given everything of themselves.
"It’s a tough one to lose, but we can’t dwell on it."
Kenny said that he did not see the incident involving Ronaldo and O’Shea, where the Portugal captain struck the Ireland defender, however, he admitted that he had issues with the officials, both in their decision-making and co-operation throughout the game.
"I just can’t see how they have missed a chance and they have given a free-kick right at the end, just before the goal," said Kenny, in relation to a handball decision that came after an apparent advantage had been played.
Ronaldo's free-kick from the referee’s decision was well-saved by Bazunu, however, the attacking play remained inside the Ireland final third and moments later, the returning Manchester United man escaped his marker, Shane Duffy, and headed home the equaliser.
"The fourth official was completely unhelpful, we were trying to get two substitutions on for five minutes before they scored," added Kenny.
Kenny again spoke about the journey that his young squad were embarking on, and while he felt that a victory away in Portugal was something that may have arrived too soon, he lamented the fact that the opportunity was lost.
And he believes that the side have not been rewarded for their good play, especially in their two big qualifiers played away from home, where previously Ireland lost 3-2 in Serbia following an excellent outing.
"It is a kick in the teeth," said Kenny. "And we have had a few, but they are a terrific group of people.
"We’re on a journey. It was [perhaps] soon for us to win away, but when you get the opportunity you have to grasp that.
"It was taken away from us, and the players deserve better as they have put two unbelievable performances in away in Serbia and here, so we have to look to improve, dust ourselves down and get ready for the weekend."
Next up for Ireland is Saturday’s home clash against Azerbaijan, who lost 2-1 to Luxembourg, before hosting Serbia on Tuesday night at the Aviva Stadium.
Kenny fears that O’Shea will miss the matches following the ankle injury picked up during the first half of the game, and he called on the Irish supporters to provide the energy that the team need to pick them up after such a draining defeat.
"It doesn’t look good," said Kenny, when asked about O’Shea’s wellbeing. "He has been Mr Consistency every time I see him play.
"We travel home tomorrow, one day of training and we go again, so we’ll need the supporters to give the players energy.
"It will be great to play in front of our own support, 28,000 or whatever it is, because we will need energy after leaving so much out there tonight."
