Ireland's best chance against Bulgaria on Wednesday night fell to Ronan Curtis, with the winger likely hugely disappointed that he didn't convert it.
That is especially true when you consider his club form. He entered this afternoon's game against Crewe Alexandra with six goals and three assists to his name, a tally he would add to during the 4-1 victory.
Curtis opened the scoring after only 15 minutes, punishing the Crewe defence after they gave the ball away in a dangerous position. Frustratingly for Ireland fans, this chance was almost identical to the one the 24-year old missed in midweek.
On this occasion he made no mistake.
He scored the second goal of the game just before the interval, with this one displaying a real touch of class.
Curtis forced the opposition defender to turn the ball at the edge of his own box, muscling him out of possession when he attempted to recover. When the goalkeeper attempted to close him down, the Irishman produced a beautiful touch to bring it around him before converting from a tight angle.
Take a look at this.
A cracking finish. It was a very strong performance from Curtis, the latest in what has been an excellent season.
Marcus Harness, who was with the Republic of Ireland squad for the Bulgaria game having declared for the country last year, was also in the Portsmouth side.
Of course, the big talking point to emerge from the most recent international break was the video shown to the Ireland team before the England game.
James McClean weighed in with his opinion earlier today, while Curtis was also asked about it after the game. He suggested that the whole thing has been overblown.
#Pompey and ROI winger Ronan Curtis on the video shown to the Republic of Ireland squad before the friendly at Wembley
“It was nothing really it was just motivating us really but there was nothing wrong with it really there was nothing in it”— Andrew Moon (@mrandrewmoon) November 21, 2020
Curtis will now be hoping to continue this current run of form and make him a certainty for the Ireland squad for the next international break in March.
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