Xherdan Shaqiri ensures John O'Shea's Ireland reign ends in defeat

Xherdan Shaqiri’s 30th international goal handed Switzerland their first friendly win over Ireland since 1948.

Yet time stood still for Ireland during this caretaker spell in which they failed to score over two games.

At least a new boss will be at the helm in June, albeit not Roberto Di Matteo despite the Champions League winning boss’ visit to Lansdowne Road commanding early chatter.

Any tenuous link will be indulged as the wait lurches into a fifth month.

He was born in Switzerland and, besides, doesn’t possess the international experience the FAI have cited as essential on the CV on the mystery man to be unveiled next month.

Let’s see how picky they really are but the glow around John O’Shea candidature didn’t sizzle. The next time we see him in FAI garb will likely be rerouted into an assistant’s berth.

This wasn’t the heavy on zeal fans anticipated in the aftermath of holding a better Belgium side scoreless on Saturday.

On the upside, debutant Finn Azaz showed off the bench in the dying embers he was a worthy debutant. In the midst of a late flurry he scurried into the box, only to see his shot blocked.

Not much else stood out on another night of frustration at the Dublin 4 venue, just under a different manager.

Technical advisor Brian Kerr offered a clue in advance as to the team selection by stressing O’Shea’s aversion to experimentation.

Switzerland goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo tries to punch the ball clear during an Ireland attack in the closing minutes. Pic Credit: Tommy Grealy, Inpho.

As the interim boss stated in his pre-match musings, his outlook was influenced by the brief.

Two games, 180 minutes and a mandate to lift a group demoralised by a succession of failures.

Wholesale changes from Saturday’s stalemate weren’t conducive to such missions, leading to tweaks rather than surgery.

Swapping Caoimhín Kelleher for Gavin Bazunu made sense in the circumstances; a pair of stellar goalkeepers now conditioned by a string of club games. Only one would emerge with a clean sheet from this window.

There’s little to separate Jason Knight and Will Smallbone, causing no great deal of surprise when the latter made way for a fellow Championship midfielder.

Under Stephen Kenny, Knight was moreso tasked with an advanced role so it was curious to assess how he’d fare in the midfield axis alongside Josh Cullen.

Chiedozie Ogbene’s knock, sustained in Monday’s training session, paved the way for Mikey Johnston to grasp one of the two supporting roles behind Evan Ferguson, though that might have been part of the design and presented a reprieve for Sammie Szmodics to start again.

Both outfield newcomers were gone by the hour mark, as neither imposed themselves on the fray.

Arguably, Bazunu’s night wasn’t a success either, for he could have done better for the goal.

Knight was the livelier of the duo, setting the tone by earning a free-kick after just two minutes under a late challenge from Eray Comert.

Industrious and energetic as ever, it was from one of his trademark bursts that the Ireland’s best chance of the first half was fashioned, By dribbling from the edge of the box to the endline two minutes before the interval, he attracted Swiss defenders to create gaps.

A delightful dink back across goal enabled Johnston to attack that space but his header floated the wrong side of the post.

It was central to an action-packed conclusion to a half that the Swiss held the upperhand in midfield, primarily thanks to their enforcer Granit Xhaka.

Aided by Michel Aebischer and Vincent Sierro, the trio gradually began to outplay Ireland’s partnership of Cullen and Knight.

Still, the threat from Robbie Brady’s set-piece deliveries ensured the openings were generated and sights on goal followed.

Ireland could afford to bypass the midfield warzone too when the quality of Séamus Coleman was in their ranks. On 19 minutes, one of Johnson’s classic jinks opened the path for the Ireland skipper to release Szmodics but the pass was fractionally delayed to avoid being offside.

Three minutes later and the Swiss had their goal. Dara O'Shea seemed off-balance when attempting to halt the dribble Zeki Amdouni, succeeding only in fouling his Burnley teammate right on the edge of his box.

Long gone are the peak of Xherdan Shaqiri’s powers – when he excelled for Stoke City and Liverpool – but that left foot of his hasn’t aged.

That was evident by his exquisite execution, allied to three of his colleagues packing the Ireland wall to obscure Bazunu’s vision.

It proved effective, for the zipped curler caught the Southampton stopper out and he was too late with his dive to prevent it nestling in his bottom right corner.

If there was a modicum of sympathy for the netminder, none was due if he’d been exposed by Xhaka for a second five minutes before the break.

Bazunu’s clearance from a backpass was far too underhit and central not to spell danger but the former Arsenal midfielder still had to punish the blemish from 25 yards.

His low left-footer hardly left the turf and Bazunu was relieved to watch it cannon off the inside of the post and bounce out.

That close shave came within the chaotic stint as the whistle beckoned and defender Andrew Omobamidele went near with two headers.

His first, on 37 minutes, looked more like a volleyball routine from Brady’s corner – O’Shea’s cushioned header across goal sitting up nicely for the Notts Forest defender to pick his spot. Rather, he headed tamely at Yvon Mvogo.

Two minutes later and the stand-in goalkeeper stared him down again from Brady’s corner. Yet, on this occasion, charging into Ferguson was his undoing and neither got purchase on a header that veered wide.

Whereas on Saturday a shot of Kerr on the big screen heartened the crowd, it was the appearance of a juvenile pitch invader being escorted down the tunnel which enlivened a stale start to the second half.

Aebischer shot straight at Bazunu and SMallbone, rotating with Brady on free-kicks, invited a touch that never came from his inswinger.

Adam Idah’s introduction for the last half injected a new dimension. His acrobatic overhead kick from a knockdown by fellow sub Matt Doherty on 66 minutes was the best Ireland conjured in a second half which the experienced visitors managed out with a concerning degree of ease. That’s for the incoming chief to worry about.

IRELAND (3-4-2-1): G Bazunu; A Omobamidele (M Doherty 57), N Collins, D O’Shea; S Coleman, J Cullen (F Azaz 87), J Knight (W Smallbone 58), R Brady (C O’Dowda 79); S Szmodics (M Sykes 79), M Johnston (A Idah 57); E Ferguson.

SWITZERLAND (3-5-2): Y Mvogo; F Schar (B Omeragic 80), N Elvedi, E Comert; S Widmer (K Mbabu 65), G Xhaka (R Frueler 46), M Aebischer, V Sierro (D Zakaria 65), D Ndoye (D Kutesa 65); X Shaqiri (N Okafor 76), Z Amdouni.

Referee: Pawel Raczkowski (POL).

Attendance: 35,742.