While England saw out a 0-0 draw with Brazil at Wembley last night, Newcastle’s Ciaran Clark suffered heartache in Dublin, with his Republic of Ireland side seeing their World Cup hopes go up in flames after a devastating 5-1 home defeat to Denmark in their all important play-off second leg.
Clark captained his country in their first-leg 0-0 draw in Denmark last week, leaving them knowing that a win in Dublin last night would have sent them into next summer’s tournament in Russia.
It was looking very likely early on, with a goal from centre-back partner Shane Duffy giving them an early lead, however it quickly turned sour for the NUFC defender.
They conceded twice in quick succession and went in at the break 2-1 down, and it only got worse, with a hat-trick from Spurs’ Christian Eriksen sealing a stunning 5-1 win for the Danes.
A bitter blow for Clark, Elliot (who was forced to withdraw from the squad due to a family bereavement) and ex-forward Daryl Murphy.
We’ll need Clark to be fit and firing on Saturday however, with an injury to Jamaal Lascelles meaning he’ll most likely return to the fray, with he and Florian Lejeune set to take on the formidable Romelu Lukaku in this weekend’s daunting trip to Old Trafford.
