A night to forget for the team perhaps, but a memorable occasion on the western coast of Portugal for Tom Cannon who nearly claimed a goal on his international debut.
That opportunity shortly after the hour mark was a rare foray into enemy territory as the Republic of Ireland were well and truly outclassed 3-0 by their Euro 2024-bound hosts, with Ronaldo bagging a brace and his team coughing up numerous chances to add to their tally.
The English-born forward, who scored twice in 13 appearances as Leicester City secured promotion to the Premier League this season, represented the Boys in Green at Under-21 level but had previously been described as taking "time to reflect" on his international future.
Interim manager John O'Shea however kept the line of communication open with the forward, calling him into the squad last month and handing him is debut shortly after Ronaldo had put the hosts 2-0 up in the 49th minute.
"A very proud day for me and my family," he told RTÉ Sport after the game. "It’s a tough one to take, a defeat, but Portugal are a good side with top-quality players.
"They are probably one of the favourites for the Euros."
Cannon came as close as any Irish player to finding the back of the Portuguese net when a long ball lifted over the top saw him get the better of Danilo, cutting inside the defender before his sliding shot hit the side-netting.
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— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 11, 2024
Almost a dream start to his international career as Tom Cannon goes close to scoring on his debut
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"I thought I was going to get a goal…it just didn’t quite sit up right. There is always next time," he said.
The game brings John O’Shea’s interim time in charge to an end for the second time, the Portuguese defeat coming on the back of a morale-boosting win over Hungary in Dublin.
While the former Manchester United defender’s future remains unclear, Cannon was fulsome in his praise for the Waterford native.
"He’s been brilliant for me," he said. "Even before coming into camp, I had very positive phone calls with him, Being with him the past two weeks, he’s a top-quality manager."
Another who came out to bat for O’Shea was the Irish player of the match Caoimhín Kelleher. With Portugal enjoying 71% possession, it was inevitable the Liverpool shotstopper would be busy throughout.
As he and the rest of the squad head off for their summer holidays, Kelleher insisted that O’Shea deserves his shot at the gig on a full-time basis and has the backing of the squad.
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— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 11, 2024
'We absolutely love him…we're trying our hearts out for him’ – Caoimhin Kelleher says Ireland can play a lot better, but are fully behind interim manager John O’Shea
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"Speaking on behalf of all the players, we absolutely love him," he said. "We’ve had a great camp this week, he’s been excellent.
"We’ve been trying our hearts out for him, trying to get good results for him, but unfortunately, we couldn’t do that for him tonight.
"I can’t say enough good things about him."
