Ireland restore some pride

Ireland coach Dave Passmore was given a decent send-off in his final game in charge as his side restored some pride with a spirited 2-2 draw with Argentina at Serpentine Avenue earlier today. Passmore’s replacement due to be named in the coming weeks, with the Englishman moving upstairs to a full-time role as high performance director.

He had much to ponder after Wednesday night’s 4-1 defeat at Belfield, but his young squad responded well yesterday, with a diving Alan Sothern giving them the lead after good work on the end-line from Ronan Gormley. Keeper David Harte thwarted three successive penalty corners as the Pumas sought an equaliser, but Diego Tanuscio turned the game on its head with two goals inside 60 seconds in the 43rd minute. His first came from a rebound off Harte, while the second was diverted in from Juan Lopez’ pull-back. Pedro Ibarra and Gormley faced off (see picture) as the tension mounted – evoking memories of the controversial incident when the Irish captain was allegedly spat at by an Argentinean player last February. But John Jermyn’s drag with seven minutes to go gave the hosts a share of the spoils, but it could have been different as the final minutes yielded a flurry of activity. Matias Paredes missed a decent chance for the South Americans, before Harte saved well from a corner. An end-to-end last 60 seconds saw Peter Caruth gallop down the left wing only to be foiled by Juan Vivaldi. The subsequent break saw Conor Harte on hand to make a great cover tackle. Thanks again to Stephen Findlater for the details!