European Championship
Rep. Ireland
Nov 16, 2015 7.45pm
2
0
HT : 1 0
FT
Bosnia H'vina
  • Jonathan Walters 24' goal
  • James McClean 59' yellowcard
  • Jonathan Walters 70' goal
  • yellowcard Emir Spahic 20'
  • yellowcard Senad Lulic 23'
  • yellowcard Ervin Zukanovic 83'
  • yellowcard Milan Djuric 93'
  • yellowcard Edin Dzeko 93'

Live Commentary: Republic of Ireland 2-0 (3-1) Bosnia-Herzegovina - as it happened

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Republic of Ireland 2-0 (3-1) Bosnia-Herzegovina - as it happened
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Jonathan Walters scored twice as the Republic of Ireland beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 in Dublin tonight to book their Euro 2016 ticket with a 3-1 aggregate victory.

The Stoke City man ensured a first-half lead from the penalty spot, before adding another on 71 minutes as the hosts - who drew 1-1 in Zenica - sealed their passage to France.

Below, relive how the Irish did it with our live text commentary.

9.39pmIt's all over! The Irish are heading to France for Euro 2016 next summer! Two goals from Jon Walters were enough on the night and there can be no debate over who the better team was over both legs. Republic of Ireland wanted this far more than their Bosnian counterparts. It was obvious from kickoff tonight and the visitors get precisely what they deserve. Well done them. Anywho, that's all from us. Cheers for tuning in and we'll see you next time.

9.37pmFULL TIME: Republic of Ireland 2-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina (3-1 aggregate)

90 + 2 minOFF THE BAR! Ibisevic smacks an effort off the crossbar and Ireland survive.

90 minTHREE MINUTES ADDED ON!

88 minOh my word. A nation held its breath here as a goalmouth scramble ensues, but Randolph pounces on the ball bravely. Phew!

86 minThere's a few tepid attempts to get an Ole, Ole, Ole chant going. People want to, but they don't want to jinx it by celebrating too early. The Irish are very, very close though.

83 minBosnia whip in a few dangerous corners now, but Ireland do well. Seven minutes!

80 minSUB: Final throw of the dice for Bosnia now as Ibisevic replaces Lulic. They have THREE strikers on the field now.

76 minCHANCE! This is the first clear-cut chance in the tie! It's excellent running from Long as he forces the dreadful Spahic into an error to go one-on-one with Begovic, albeit at an angle. But Spahic does really well to recover, pressuring the Southampton man as he fires wide.

74 minWhat's the state of play then? Well, Bosnia simply need to score twice. Simple as. Will they get them? Will they even get one? At the moment it's a big doubt. They've been horrendous over both legs and, bias aside, they don't deserve to be at Euro 2016 based on this.

72 minThe Irish can smell the baguettes in France. They're that close. It's a devilish cross from Brady which Bosnia don't deal with, and Walters is Jonny on the spot to side foot home at the near post. Incredible.

71 minGOAL! Ireland 2-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina (Walters)

69 minSUB: The visitors have gone 4-4-2 now as Djuric replaces Medujanin.

67 minSHOT! The corner comes to nothing, but Hendrick now fizzes a shot well over the bar.

65 minExcellent work from McClean as he wins a corner out of virtually nothing...

63 minThe Irish have grown on top again in recent minutes, but they'll want to get Long on the ball. He's been on about 10 minutes and yet to get a touch. Still, with his pace, he's always going to be a threat from long balls so to speak. Overall, though, Ireland very comfortable.

60 minBOOKING: McClean goes into the book for a stupid foul which, thankfully for him, comes to nothing. He was a bit over-zealous there. Half-an-hour to go.

57 minFree kick in shooting range for Brady now as Zukanovic is again harshly punished for an accidental handball, but the Norwich man drills it straight into the wall.

55 minSUBS: Yep, here we go. Hoolahan makes way for McClean, and Murphy is replaced by Shane Long.

54 minHere come the lads! James McClean and Shane Long step off the bench and Bosnia want be happy to see that one bit. There's plenty of pace between the duo, and they can certainly help Ireland move that bit closer to France.

52 minGood spell from Bosnia here, but Lulic's first-time through ball is pounced on by Randolph. Dzeko looks rather pea'd off it must be said.

51 minExcellent defending from Ciaran Clark who flicks Pjanic's cross over the bar. He was delighted to see what fly over the bar because it was one of them which could have quite easily nestled in the top corner.

49 minSAVE! Medujanin's long-range drive is comfortably held by Randolph who, if we're honest, has had very little to do over the course of this tie.

47 minBesic replaces Cocalic for the visitors by the way. Surprised to see Spahic stay on the field. He's a red card waiting to happen. Mark my words.

45 minRESTART: Ole Ole Ole is echoing around the Aviva Stadium as the home fans welcome their boys back following the break. Bosnia have a big task ahead of them. They need to improve. Let's go.

8.34pmSo, the Irish are 45 minutes from booking their Euro 2016 ticket after Jon Walters fired them ahead on the night, and in the tie. It's 2-1 on aggregate. Will Bosnia turn it around? They've got the players, in the form of Pjanic and Dzeko, but neither have turned up tonight so far. Still early days, though. There's 45 minutes left for them to have an impact. If not, Martin O'Neill and his boys are France-bound. It's as simple as that.

8.32pmHALF TIME: Republic of Ireland 1-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina (2-1 aggregate)

42 minSpahic yet again! He's been booked, yeah? And he's made THREE very rash challenges since, but the referee, who acknowledged them as fouls, hasn't produced the red. Surely these incidents will be accumulating in his mind?

40 minBetter from the visitors again but they're just throwing aimless crosses into the box and Darren Randolph plucks this one out of the sky. Bosnia enjoying plenty of possession but very, very little to write home about as far as chances go.

37 minEight minutes until the break and Bosnia have thrown a few warning signs in their hosts' direction recently. Still no goalscoring chances to speak of, but while it's only 1-0, Bosnia are certainly still in this one.

34 minSHOT! Slightly better from Bosnia as Dzeko nods into the path of Medujanin, who volleys well over from outside the area. The visitors need a bit of magic from somewhere, but the creative spark, Pjanic, isn't doing much.

31 minFourteen minutes until the break, and Ireland have been excellent. Simply put. They're well in control of this tie and not just because they're leading. So far, they want it much, much more than their visitors.

29 minSpahic is a lucky, lucky man. He's already been booked and he's just gone through Hoolahan here, but the referee gives him the benefit of the doubt. He's a red card waiting to happen I'm afraid.

27 minCLOSE! Fine response by the visitors as Roma hitman Edin Dzeko drills just wide of Darren Randolph's near post. They need to see more of Dzeko, who's been anonymous over both legs despite his goal.

25 minThe Irish move 2-1 ahead on aggregate as Walters rolls a fine penalty past Stoke City teammate Begovic. Should it have been given though? It's Lulic who conceded the penalty for a handball but it looked ever so soft. The hosts don't care. Do they heck. 1-0 on the night.

24 minGOAL! Republic of Ireland 1-0 Bosnia-Herezegovina (Walters penalty)

23 minPENALTY TO IRELAND!

21 minBOOKING: First booking of the night as Spahic goes into the book for a late, rash challenge on Hendrick. Brady plays it in, but Walters doesn't get enough on his flick.

19 minCocalic was one of the best players on the pitch on Friday, and the defensive midfielder was been excellent again tonight. He's like a little terrier and his teammates shared his guile then Bosnia wouldn't be behind in the tie.

16 minAnother fine attack from the Irish, and it's through Brady again as the Norwich man drives a brilliant cross into the box but it's cleared away from a corner, which again comes to nothing. We said this would be a special game and so far so good.

13 minReally poor defending from Hendrick here as Pjanic out-muscles him and it's a real moment of panic for the Irish, who get is away eventually. Pjanic was useless in the first leg, but his Roma form this season speaks for itself. He's a threat.

11 minIreland aren't the ones who need a goal, but they're certainly taking the game to Bosnia. Roy Keane is having kittens on the bench about something, but he and O'Neill must be happy with this start overall.

9 minSAVE! Wonderful counter-attack from Ireland here as Begovic is forced to turn behind a low Brady cross, with Walters loitering in the box. The corner comes to nothing and Bosnia break, but Keogh does well to win it back.

5 minIt's been a nervy start from both, but especially Bosnia, who have made a few sloppy errors already. Ireland on top, but goals have been a problem for them in this qualifying campaign.

3 minBrady's famed set-piece delivery was woeful on Friday, and it's not great here so far as his left-footed free kick fails to beat the first man. Remember - a 0-0 draw on the night would see the Irish progress, but O'Neill said they'd be going for goals.

1 minKICKOFF: And we're off in Dublin as the Boys in Green get us underway. Huge 90 minutes ahead. Don't go anywhere.

7.40pmFive minutes to go! Will Irish eyes be smiling or *insert Bosnian reference here* in two hours? There's only one way to find out. Euro 2016 awaits the winner. What a brilliant game we've got on our hands.

7.38pmHave you seen Dzeko? He's not a man easily flattened.

7.36pmHave no fear - the Ipswich man will have the last laugh, unless of course he's anonymous again tonight. He's yet to score in 19 international appearances I think.

7.34pmShe's referring to Asmir Begovic, who wasn't heavily involved last week, but he's up against Stoke City teammate Walters tonight so he can expect more action.

7.32pmThat's the spirit Conor.

7.30pmFifteen minutes to go, let's see how Twitter is seeing this one.

7.27pmPREDICTION! Predicting a Republic of Ireland performance can be like predicting Irish weather. It's just very, very difficult, but we're brazen enough to try. Personally, I see a 2-1 home win to confirm a 3-2 aggregate victory. With some 50,000 Irish fans behind them, it'll be a much different atmosphere compared to Friday and I fancy the Boys in Green to do the business.

7.24pmIreland, quite frankly, were also horrendous last week, but O'Neill promises a much more up-and-at-them dispaly tonight, telling UEFA.com: "We have to try and win the game. If we set out with any other sort of mindset, we could be in trouble. The ultimate goal does not change and is the same for both of us. The tie is finely balanced."

7.22pmWill they continue their evolution under Bazdarevic tonight? We'll know very shortly, my friends. If they are to qualify, Bazdarevic says that his side need to show a lot more "heart" compared to Friday's display. He told UEFA.com: "The Irish were what we expected [in the first leg]. I'm sure in Dublin they will be more aggressive and better still. However, I remain convinced that we have enough quality and strength to convert our chances into goals and to get the result. There just has to be more fighting spirit, more heart."

7.19pmUnder Safet Susic, who led them to the World Cup in Brazil, the nation endured a horrendous start to their Group B, picking up two points from their first FOUR games. They kicked things off with a 2-1 home defeat by Cyprus, of all teams, and then lost 3-0 in Israel before Susic was understandably sacked. Mr Bazdarevic took the reins and they managed to salvage a playoff place, finishing four points behind second-placed Wales in the end.

7.16pmOn to Bazdarevic's side now and his troops have been nothing short of superb in 2015, which spells bad news for the Irish. Bosnia-Herzegovina have won five of their six games this calendar year - a 3-1 defeat at Group B winners Belgium being the only blemish - but it was what happened in 2014 which appeared to undermine their automatic qualification hopes.

7.13pmArguably, the defining moment in the group came when Georgia - who finished fifth - shocked the Scots with a 1-0 victory in Tbilisi, shifting the advantage back in Ireland's favour for the race for the playoffs. They grabbed it with both hands. Two 1-0 wins over Georgia and Germany followed to clinch at least a playoff spot, before losing 2-1 in Poland to settle for third. The Irish showed plenty of heart in the final stretch of Group D, but a tiny bit more is needed to join a host of their neighbours in Euro 2016.

7.10pmStarting with O'Neill's troops, the Irish finished third in Group D, four points behind world champions Germany - whom they beat 1-0 in the penultimate game - and three behind Poland. It was a campaign not without its ups and downs, with a 1-1 draw at home to Scotland in June giving them a huge uphill task.

7.07pmLet's quickly relive both sides' journey into the playoffs, shall we?

7.05pmOn to the visitors now and Mehmed Bazdarevic makes three changes - and they're all defensive, which is odd. Ognjen Vranjec and Sead Kolasinac come into the full-back slots, while Haris Medunjanin also comes into defensive midfield. Edin Dzeko spearheads the attack in a 4-2-3-1 system, compared to an old-fashioned and ineffective 4-4-2 from Friday night.

7.02pmStarting with the Irish, O'Neill welcomes back Jonathan Walters - who missed the first leg through suspension - in what is the hosts' only change. He replaces left-back Stephen Brady, whose place is filled by Friday's hero Brady. Daryl Murphy, yet to score an international goal, was useless last week, but he's given another chance to impress as Shane Long returns, but only to the bench. John O'Shea also back in the squad.

6.59pmBOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA SUBS: Buric, Bicakic, Sunjic, Besic, Susic, Hajrovic, Hadzic, Salihovic, Ibisevic, Djuric

6.58pmROI SUBS: Forde, Wilson, O'Shea, Christie, Ward, Keane, Long, Gibson, McClean, McGeady, Arter

6.57pmBOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA XI: Begovic; Spahic Kolasinac, Vranjes, Lulic; Zukanovic, Cocalic Medujanin, Pjanic; Visca, Dzeko

6.55pmROI XI: Randolph, Coleman, Keogh, Clark, Brady, Whelan (C), McCarthy, Hendrick, Hoolahan, Walters, Murphy

6.52pmWill tonight's encounter prove to be any better? Who knows. What we do know is that the Irish, nor our Bosnian friends, will care about the performance. Tonight is about the result and the result alone. Anywho, shall we crack on with a bit of team news? Okay.

6.50pmIf you did not see the first leg then, being honest, you didn't miss much at all. You missed a relatively dull encounter which, despite two goals in the final eight minutes, was quite literally unwatchable by virtue of a giant cloud of fog which ruined the second half for spectators. Robbie Brady drilled home the opener on 82 minutes, before Edin Dzeko capitalised on a bit of slack defending from the Irish to tap home the equaliser on 85 minutes. Other than that, doctors could have prescribed the match as an insomnia treatment.

6.47pmEngland have made it. Wales have made it. Heck, even Northern Ireland players will be at Euro 2016 next summer. But will their Southern counterparts be joining them and their neighbours in France? We'll know in just about, hmm, three hours! Tonight, the Republic of Ireland host Bosnia-Herzegovina in Dublin and we'll be bringing you every single kick from the Aviva Stadium. Martin O'Neill's men are narrow favourites to go through after Friday's 1-1 draw in Zenica. Can they make it? Let's find out.
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