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Seamus Coleman may have played his final game for the Republic of Ireland as they drew 0-0 draw against North Macedonia.
Republic of Ireland fans were left wondering whether they have watched Seamus Coleman for the final time in a green shirt after a 0-0 draw against North Macedonia.
Eire’s heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to the Czech Republic in the World Cup play-off semi-final last week ended their dreams of qualifying for the tournament for the first time in 24 years.
Everton captain Coleman would have skippered Ireland in the World Cup - but aged 37, there are some wondering whether he has now played his final international game. The right-back has been plagued by injury over the past few years, limiting his game-time for Everton. He is in the last three months of his Toffees contract.
But Coleman always wears his heart on his sleeve when representing club and country. Despite Ireland having to play North Macedonia in a friendly, rather than meeting Denmark in the play-off final, Coleman earned his 79th cap as he featured from the outset at the Aviva Stadium. Coleman was substituted in the 61st minute. Everton team-mate Jake O’Bren came off the bench on 72 minutes.
And while there was nothing on the line, Coleman delivered an impressive performance, with those close to the action impressed. RTE handed Coleman a 9/10 player rating and said: “The 37-year-old played 96 minutes in Prague last Thursday and he issued another reminder of his abilities on Tuesday with a near-perfect performance at wing-back.
“Coleman dominated the right side, as he got forward and retreated when needed as Ireland switched from a 3-4-2-1 to a 5-2-2-1 out of possession.
“The full-back was excellent, in everything that he did, to the point where he almost set up the opening goal at the start of the second half by working with Finn Azaz to release Troy Parrott. The striker hit the post and Coleman was replaced by James Abankwah shortly after, after giving it his all once again.”
Meanwhile, The Irish Times handed Coleman a 7/10 score and commented: “Showed his leadership by urging his team to raise the tempo in the first half. An accomplished performance if it is to be his last one in an Irish shirt in Dublin.”
The Irish Examiner agreed with the mark and added: “Cutting an emotional figure before the game, Seamus Coleman was coolness personified once the contest kicked off. He showed some moments of real class on the ball in the opening half, cutting out a couple of dangerous visitor attacks. A strong display at the back for the 60 minutes he was on the pitch.”
The Irish Mirror also felt that Coleman was worthy of a 7/10 player rating. It said: “A leader’s performance as per usual. He played like there was a World Cup place at stake and spent much of his time on the pitch in the North Macedonian half.”
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