Irish newspapers react to Jayson Molumby and Dara O’Shea performances as West Brom duo star v Scotland
West Brom duo Jayson Molumby and Dara O’Shea featured for their national side on Sunday as Ireland suffered a 2-1 defeat to Scotland at Hampden Park.
Ireland took an early lead through John Egan, but Scotland rallied at the break and goals from Jack Hendry and Ryan Christie handed Stephen Kenny’s side a third defeat in their Nations League campaign.
Both Molumby and O’Shea started for Ireland, with the latter going on to complete 90 minutes, while Molumby was substituted for Alan Browne with 13 minutes remaining.
Irish newspapers were quickly on the scene to deliver their verdict on the duo’s performances, with The Irish Sun handing both players a 7/10 rating. Molumby showed “tenacity and awareness”, while O’Shea was praised for “a number of important interceptions”.
The Irish Independent also handed out 7s to both players. They said O’Shea “stood tall and firm” even when under pressure, while Molumby was labelled “a real star” who “worked tirelessly” for his side.
The Irish Times ratings were even more generous to Molumby, who was named their man of the match and handed an 8/10. He was described as a “menace” for his combative midfield performance. As for O’Shea, he racked up another 7/10 for his “accomplished performance”.
Promising form
While they may have been on the end of a defeat, Molumby and O’Shea were among the best performers for Ireland on the night.
It’s a promising sign for Steve Bruce, who will hope his players come back full of confidence after the international break.
Molumby in particular was singled out for praise for his performance, and his tireless work rate and energy will be pivotal if the Baggies are to turn around their Championship form.
Both can now return to the Hawthorns with some crucial minutes under their belt. Bruce will be pleased to have avoided any injuries (so far) to the duo over the break, and hopefully they can both quickly move past the defeat and focus on the upcoming fixtures – starting with a difficult visit from Swansea City next Saturday.
First up however, both Molumby and O’Shea could possibly feature again for Ireland on Tuesday evening, when they host the final Nations League group game against bottom-of-the-table Armenia.
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