Ireland took a comprehensive win over Qatar on Tuesday night, in a result that marked another positive for Stephen Kenny. It even caused Didi Hamann to change his tune from Saturday, as he asserted that Ireland could cause problems for Portugal in next month's qualifier.
Portugal will likely go into November's qualifier needing a result to qualify automatically for the group, and Hamann does not think it will be easy going for Ronaldo and co. in Dublin,
Didi Hamann thinks Portugal will dread the trip to Dublin
It's just over a month since Ireland's close-run-thing on the Algarve, and soon the Portuguese superstars will be making the return journey to Dublin.
Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu saves a penalty from Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo during the World Cup qualifying match between Portugal and Republic of Ireland at Estádio Algarve in Faro, Portugal. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
The mood around Stephen Kenny's camp feels very different now to how it did before that first Portugal game, after seven goals, two clean sheets, and two clear wins in four days eased a bit of the pressure on the former Dundalk manager.
Didi Hamann appeared on RTÉ's coverage of Ireland's 4-0 victory over Qatar on Tuesday, and he said that he felt the Portuguese team would be dreading having to face this Irish team next month.
This is good news for Stephen and for Ireland - but it's also good news for Serbia. Portugal will not be looking forward to coming here in need of a result.
Portugal are locked in a battle for top spot in the group with Serbia, and currently sit a point behind the Serbians. The two will lock horns in the final round of group games, meaning a result in Dublin is crucial for Portugal.
Hamann also said that Ireland have slowly been building momentum and, despite his assertions pre-match that Stephen Kenny was lucky to still be in a job, he did concede that the team had shown more style in Tuesday's win than they had in the prior games under Kenny.
The World Cup finalist and Champions League winner also said that, if Ireland played how they did against Qatar, they could cause "any team" in the world problems - even the likes of Portugal.
Hamann was one of the most vocal about the injustices Ireland suffered in Faro, with a potential red card missed against Cristiano Ronaldo, and issues around timekeeping bringing comment even from the likes of John Egan.
In 35 years playing or watching football I never had the feeling that something wasn’t right. Yesterday I did for the 1st time. Played 1 minute over added time in 1st half and for no reason well past in the 2nd which cost Ireland a point, on top of a dozen dubious calls https://t.co/kjUyHtIZmZ
— Didi Hamann (@DietmarHamann) September 2, 2021
Didi Hamann's prediction for Ireland-Portugal will be music to the ears of Irish fans and, if the boys in blue green can get any kind of result out of next month's game, it will close out a forgettable qualifying campaign on a high note.
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