Anything can happen in 90 minutes, said Giovanni Trapattoni. But when Spain play like this and his Republic of Ireland team see their limitations so painfully exposed, only one thing can happen. The mis-match of Euro 2012 so far concluded with Spain igniting their championship defence and Ireland beating a humble retreat.
Ireland's fate was set in motion by their 3-1 defeat to Croatia on Sunday but how Spain confirmed it. Fernando Torres rediscovered his appetite for goals, his midfield colleagues sparkled and Ireland struggled to give their magnificent support an attacking moment to remember, although there was delight at James McClean's late introduction.
Ireland play better in adversity? Here, there was only adversity. From the very start, when Torres flashed home his first, there was one winner advertised. The doggedness that Trapattoni has instilled brought this cherished qualification but it could never work the required miracle to escape a punishing Group C. The rocky road now leads home.
Spain could not countenance more dropped points after the 1-1 draw against Italy and there was purpose to go with their relentless pressing and passing. Torres pointed to his ear after he scored his first goal, a dig at his critics and his second was similarly accomplished, even after he appeared to get his touch stuck under his feet when one-on-one with Shay Given.
The pick of the bunch was David Silva's goal and Cesc Fábregas chipped in to make a point of his own, after being started on the bench. He beat the substitute Paul Green following a cute corner routine and fizzed a drive inside the far corner. All of his frustration was on that shot; Ireland's was etched into perspiring brows.
The defeat was so comprehensive that recriminations felt futile. The Ireland support simply paid tribute in the closing moments with deafening song. They departed Gdansk with their pride intact. Their team will only be playing for it in Monday's final tie against Italy.
Trapattoni had sprung a major surprise with his selection. He is hardly noted for his willingness to deviate from the tried and trusted yet he did so here, in one of the biggest games of his tenure, preferring Simon Cox to Kevin Doyle in a bid for greater strength in the middle. Cox, who played in front of the midfield four, is more comfortable as a No9 while Trapattoni persisted with Robbie Keane, the No10, as his centre-forward.
Spain's build-up had been dominated by talk of false nines but Vicente del Bosque picked a recognised one in Torres. In a piece of reverse psychology, Trapattoni had predicted he would while, secretly, hoping that he would not. It did not matter to him whether his counterpart started with five or six midfielders. Spain were always going to hog possession. Trapattoni was wary of Torres's presence.
His fears were realised in the fourth minute as Ireland, as they had done against Croatia, were punished for early defensive slackness. Andrés Iniesta's pass for Silva was driven and incisive but Richard Dunne checked him with a slide tackle. Torres, though, was lurking. He burst onto the ball, skated away from Dunne and ran around Stephen Ward before blasting high and hard through Shay Given and into the net. An ominous omen: Spain had won their previous 58 matches after scoring the opening goal.
This was a night for bleary Irish eyes in the stands and sore ones on the pitch. Plenty of the Ireland squad have fought their way up through the divisions and this was the pinnacle of some careers. In front of them stood world champions. From the stands, it was easy to marvel at Spanish technique; the assurance of the touches; the power and speed of the passes.
Irish stamina faced the acid test; not that those swathed in green in the crowd were found wanting. Their vocal backing was stirring. Ireland fought to stay close to the red shirts yet it was gruelling. The minutes ticked like hours. Spain like to sap energy before resolve. It did not feel fair to see Keith Andrews poleaxed by the referee, Pedro Proença, during one slow-burning Spanish raid.
The first half was all Spain, and Given was forced to work, seriously, on several occasions. Iniesta bristled with menace, Silva was balletic. Torres blasted a decent chance wide on eight minutes, following a knock back from Sergio Busquets. Ireland, though, could be happy enough with the half-time scoreline of just a single-goal deficit. While Spain's margin remained tight, they refused to give up hope.
Trapattoni shuffled again at half-time, replacing Cox with Jon Walters and going to 4-4-2. But the game was over within four minutes of the restart, prompting further maddening deja vu; Ireland had conceded early in the second-half to Croatia. Hope was gone. Silva's goal was the definition of how to toy with defenders. He might have been on the beach in his native Canary Islands. He feinted to put Sean St Ledger on his shorts, jinked, paused again to freeze Ward and then, with impish cool, passed the ball beyond Given.
In the second half Given distinguished himself with a wonder save from Xavi but it quickly became a question of how many Spain would score. Mercifully, the pain stopped at four. Read More
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