Ireland 1 - 1 Denmark

M’learned friend Barry Glendenning, in his preview of this game, described the recent spate of Ireland-Denmark encounters as “a never-ending series of mind-numbingly tedious football matches”. So that’s encouraging, yes?

This will be the teams’ sixth meeting in the last two years plus a week, with the previous five ending, in order of excitement, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 1-1 and 1-5, with one rogue Christian Eriksen-inspired Denmark thumping in Dublin interrupting an otherwise humdrum sequence.

There is one decent cause for optimism: the Republic of Ireland must win. If they do, they qualify automatically for Euro 2020. If they don’t, they’ll have to play off. Unless they’re already winning, there will come a point where they have nothing to lose, and will boldly throw caution to the wind. Less encouragingly Denmark know a draw will see them safely through, either in first place (if Switzerland somehow fail to beat Gibraltar) or second (if they do), so have every reason to hold out for another goalless draw.

Anyway, a game of football to be played. It will probably be more fun than at least one and possibly all five of the Republic of Ireland-Denmark clashes in recent memory. So let’s gather round football’s glowing brazier and let the flickering flames of international qualifying football warm our hands and our spirits. Or something.