Ireland have to learn to 'die a little' if they're to climb up the ladder
This was far from a perfect performance but Robbie Brady turned the clock back for a winner that Irish football badly needs. He emptied himself in Zatopek fashion
There are plenty - including the editors of Runner's World magazine - who think Emil Zatopek was the greatest athlete of all. When they produced a special issue on the all-time greats, they ranked him ahead of the likes of Jesse Owens and Usain Bolt.
Zatopek was the Czech long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. He triumphed in the 5000m and 10,000, but his finest achievement came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life.
His strategy for the marathon was simple. Zatopek looked out for Jim Peters, the British world-record holder, and effectively man-marked him.
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After a punishing first 15km in which Peters knew he had overtaxed himself, Zatopek asked the Englishman what he thought of the race up to then. Peters told the Czech that the pace was "too slow," in an attempt to slip up Zatopek.
Zatopek's response was to shift through the gears and disappear over the horizon. Peters ended up dropping out. The Czech's goal every day was the same - race so hard that you forget the colour of the sky. When he stood on the starting line for races, he'd always say the same thing to those beside him - 'men, today we die a little'.
This was far from a perfect performance but Robbie Brady turned the clock back for a winner that Irish football badly needs. He emptied himself in Zatopek fashion.
To be relegated to the bottom tier of the Nations League would be a crushing blow.
Thanks to Brady, Ireland can now go to Athens in buoyant mood. It's been a while since that's been the case.
Ireland took on Finland in the stadium where Zatopek had three gold medals hung around his neck, and there was plenty of talk of athletics in the build-up to the game.
After all, Sonia O'Sullivan and Eamonn Coghlan had won European and world titles in this place too, but Heimir Hallgrimsson's crew operate at a very different level of Irish sport.
Glenn Whelan was part of the coaching set-up for the friendlies earlier in the year and surely his words last month on Virgin Media stung plenty in the squad.
“There are too many players playing for Ireland who are too used to losing games, lads who have consistently lost for Ireland and it’s not good,” said Whelan.
But the cold facts are hard to argue with. It's been agreed for a long time that Ireland have a major issue in midfield. But they also have a habit of giving up soft goals and, at the other end, Ireland went into last night's match with just two goals from six games in 2024.
You'd wonder what Zatopek would make of them. Would he see a bunch who are ready to 'die a little' for the cause? Would he see a softness, a bunch that have become all too used to losing?
The proof of that only comes when you're up against it, and we hadn't even reached the midway point of the first half before that was the case.
A bright start with an old school 4-4-2 formation didn't bring much end product for Ireland and there was a sense of grim inevitability about Finland going in front.
That was due to an all too familiar unforced error presenting a goal to Irish opponents on a plate. Nathan Collins gave the ball away cheaply and Joel Pohjanpalo couldn't believe his luck as he raced clear.
That's not to take away from his finish, which was top class. Pohjanpalo is a prolific scorer with Venezia in Serie A, and he showed he has something about him.
Ireland will rightly think they were denied an equaliser when Evan Ferguson's goal was ruled out, but there was a weirdly lethargic feel to their play.
It was as if they were playing a pre-season friendly in high temperatures at altitude. Playing walking football, meandering around aimlessly for long periods.
It's fair to assume that someone got a grip on the team at half-time, whether it was the manager, one of his coaches, or a player.
No word is more over-used in sport than 'pressure'. If you're serving to win a five-set thriller at Wimbledon, it's more difficult to come up with an ace than in the first set. That's because of the pressure.
Athletes rarely post personal best times at major championships. Again, that's down to pressure. What's the difference between taking the second kick in a penalty shoot-out or the first or fifth one? The pressure.
But here's the thing: Pressure diminishes some competitors but enhances others. Ireland have wilted when the heat was on in recent times, but there was a response this time.
They came out for the second half a different team. A team playing like they were prepared to die a little. Now they were running hard, pressing high, chasing and harrying.
Not earth-shattering stuff, it has to be said, but it was marked absent for the first half. Just 12 minutes after the restart, Ireland were level.
Liam Scales had what used to be called a Kodak moment. A snapshot that he'd freeze-frame for all time. Robbie Brady's delivery from a free-kick was sweet but Scales still had to do the hardest bit, and his header was glorious.
It was Finland who now looked nervy and ponderous. Ireland, by doing nothing more radical than getting stuck into both the game and their opponents, started to dominate.
But no lead goal would come their way, and Finland got a foothold again. They came close a couple of times, and Collins was curiously out of sorts again, getting away with a couple of mistakes.
Ireland survived. Brady would have the final say. Onwards to Athens.
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