Gary Connaughton reporting from Tallaght Stadium
There was a huge sense of optimism both inside and outside the Ireland camp before this afternoon's meeting with Iceland. A victory would put Jim Crawford's side on the brink of a first ever European Championships, a reward you felt they deserved after an incredibly impressive campaign up to this point.
Ireland had players in great form at club level, with the likes Nathan Collins and Jack Taylor having made major leaps in their development over the past three months or so. There was also the return of Troy Parrott, the player who had acted as the catalyst to so many of the big results over the last 18 months or so.
If there was one negative that hung over this team, it was the calibre of some of the players they would have to do without. Individual performances have been so impressive during this qualifying group that many key contributors had played their way into Stephen Kenny's senior squad.
Of course, labelling this as a 'negative' isn't quite accurate. Seeing young players advance quickly to the senior grade is hugely encouraging for Irish football. It's just a blow for this particular team in the short-term.
After the 2-1 defeat this afternoon, a game which ends Ireland's qualification hopes, it's difficult to imagine that the extra star power in the team wouldn't have made the difference.
Ultimately, you walk away from Tallaght Stadium this afternoon wondering what might have been.
The game followed a consistent theme. Ireland would dominate the ball, advancing to threatening areas of the pitch only for the final ball or touch to let them down. Iceland defended in two deep blocks, hoping to break at pace and trouble Ireland from counterattacks.
That's how the first goal came, with a loose touch from Michael Obafemi halting a promising Irish attack and the ball ending up in the net at the other end.
The Southampton player was one you expected to have a big impact on this game, but things just wouldn't quite fall for him. Perhaps it would have been different had he converted that one-on-one with the goalkeeper early on.
That is but one 'what if' moment from this game, and subsequently the entire campaign. The biggest one no doubt revolves around the players who were not on the pitch.
Here is a list of just some of the eligible players who were not available for this fixture for one reason or another: Aaron Connolly, Adam Idah, Caoimhin Kelleher, Dara O'Shea, Jayson Molumby, Jason Knight, Gavin Bazunu, Will Smallbone, Jonathan Afolabi, Mark Travers.
Some of them missed out through injury, while others are in the senior squad.
There is no blame given to Stephen Kenny. His responsibility is to select the best players at his disposal and he can't really worry about how it will affect underage squads. It is just a difficult scenario for Jim Crawford, especially when you have things like Jason Knight being taken from the squad 24 hours before such a big game to contend with.
Any team would struggle to cope with so many absentees, especially when those missing are by nature your most talented players. It just seemed like too much to overcome on this occasion.
You can't question the long-term benefits of bringing those players into the senior squad, but this feels like an opportunity missed. Unfortunately, we could not have the best of both worlds on this occasion.
That isn't to say Ireland couldn't have won the game.
They played incredibly well until the ball got to the final third but repeatedly failed to break Iceland down. It is noteworthy that they didn't really miss any clearcut chances (with the possible exception of Obafemi's difficult one-on-one), they couldn't craft any in the first place.
Iceland ability to take the opportunities that fell their way was the difference between the sides.
It leaves Ireland out of the running for a spot at next year's finals in Hungary & Slovenia. Iceland sit one point ahead of Ireland, but with Armenia having conceded their scheduled fixture next week, they now cannot be caught.
The future is bright for this group and we will no doubt see even more of them in the senior squad in the not too distant future. We just won't be seeing them in a first ever U21 Euros next summer.
SEE ALSO: Ireland Player Ratings As Iceland Defeat Leaves Qualification Hopes In Tatters
