Republic of Ireland 1-1 Denmark : Ireland miss out on automatic Euro qualification by the finest of margins

FT: I've been Toby Bowles, and I hope you enjoyed following tonight's events in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers. Stay tuned for more international action.

Your @ThreeIreland Man of the Match...

David McGoldrick#IRLDEN🇮🇪🇩🇰 #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/bsSk92sPa1 — FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) November 18, 2019

#IRLDEN 🇮🇪1-1🇩🇰

FULL TIME | It ends in a draw, as Ireland move into March's Play-Offs#COYBIG pic.twitter.com/2kDf0TeO8q — FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) November 18, 2019

FT: In truth, it was a dire affair, with neither side mesmerising with their attacking football. The two teams were almost cancelling each other out, which -considering they've faced each other six times in two years - was to be expected.

McCarthy is going to have to work with his team on their offensive football as they simply lacked ideas and fluency at times going forward, with Conor Hourihane, Jeff Hendrick and then the energetic Callum Robinson providing the only real attacking impetus and creativity. 

FT: Denmark earn automatic qualification to Euro 2020 as Ireland fall short after a late, spirited comeback. 

The Boys in Green gave everything for the shirt and the fans but, ultimately, it wasn't enough. Mick McCarthy's men will enter the lottery that is the playoffs.

90: The fans are on edge here as Ireland seek for the goal that will take them to Euro 2020. 

86: We've got a game on our hands ! Doherty has equalised for Ireland with a bouncing header past Schmeichel !

84: Defender Andreas Christensen replaces midfielder Lasse Schöne in a clear attempt from Hareide to see out the victory.

81: Two goals is all Ireland need, but with their abysmal goalscoring record the feat is becoming more and more insurmountable as the clock ticks on at the Aviva Stadium.

Sean Maguire replaces Glenn Whelan to add some more impetus going forward.

73: Braithwaite has given his country the lead in Dublin ! It was an exquisite cross from Dalsgaard who caught the Irish defence ball-watching and picked out Braithwaite in the middle, with the striker just able to get his toe on the end of the cross to divert it past Randolph.

72: Dolberg races through and is seemingly barged to the ground by Doherty but the referee waves away the protests.

67: The stadium is rocking, the players are fired up yet the Irish are still labouring in front of goal as David McGoldrick skews an effort over the bar.

Callum Robinson replaces Conor Hourihane in an attacking-minded substitute from McCarthy. His side simply have to go for the jugular in these final twenty minutes.

55: An indignant Glenn Whelan has been shown a yellow card after an overly zealous tackle on Larsen. The Irish players want this. 

Meanwhile, Switzlerand are 3-0 up in Gibraltar.

49: Hourihane whips a devilish, pacy ball across the face of the six yard box but stretching Ireland limbs couldn't alter the direction the ball, which Schmeichel eventually palmed away. Hourihane seems the only real creative presence in this Ireland team.

45: Glenn Whelan kicks the two sides off.

HT: It has been an attritional first half in Dublin, with the two sides clearly aware and well-moulded to each other's strengths and weaknesses having faced each other so frequently. Eriksen's set-pieces have caused panic but aside from that, Ireland have done well to nullify Denmark's attacking qualities. 

This will not do, though. McCarthy is going to have to make some offensive tweaks for the second half as it is imperative that they secure the win, while Denmark can settle with a draw. 

37: Browne unleashes an audacious volley from outside the box but it bounces just wide.

34: What was seemingly a stray pass from McGoldrick is not dealt with by Denmark and falls right into the path of the onrushing Hourihane. The midfielder opens his body up, aiming for the far-left corner, but fires straight at Schmeichel. 

26: The Danes are enjoying a sustained period of possession as striker Cornelius receives treatment for a head injury. Ireland are looking solid defensively, though the weakness for them has always been going forward.

21: The hosts have been visibly the better side for the last ten minutes, knocking the ball about nicely and forcing Denmark into unnecessary errors and stray passes. Still no clear-cut chances, though.

14: Højbjerg replaces the injured Delaney in a like-for-like switch in midfield.

11: If things remain as they are in Gibraltar, with Switzerland winning, all Ireland have to do is overcome the Danes. The tension is palpable.

10: The Ireland fans are certainly up for this one. The opening 10 minutes have been cagey, however, with neither side breaking into any threatening positions.

1: The Danes get the game underway.

The national anthems are roaring out at the Aviva Stadium as the two sides prepare for an enormous fixture. A win for Ireland, assuming Switzerland   beat Gibraltar , will take them to the Euros next summer. 

Tonight will be Ireland's 6th encounter with Denmark in the space of two years, and Christian Eriksen has admitted that he and his teammates would prefer to face some fresh opposition.

In an interview with Sky Sports, he said : "We've been in Ireland a lot and they've been to Denmark a lot so of course we would rather play somebody else. But in the end it's just about whoever you get drawn against."

He told Sky Sports: "My team is unbeaten against them, but I do see a real sense of arrogance within them."

"I kind of like it anyway. I don't mind it when they put me down and put my teams down. It makes it all the better when you turn it round and beat them."

Starting XI: (Schmeichel [GK], Kjaer [C], Larsen, Jørgensen, Dalsgaard, Schöne, Delaney, Eriksen, Braithwaite, Poulsen, Cornelius)

Substitutes: (Ankersen, Andersen, Knudsen, Christensen, Skov, Gytkjaer, Dolberg, Nørgaard, Hansen, Wass, Rønnow [GK], Højbjerg)

Starting XI: (Randolph [GK], Stevens, Duffy [C], Egan, Doherty, Whelan, Hourihane, Hendrick, Browne, McClean, McGoldrick)

Substitutes: (O'Hara [GK], Travers [GK], Maguire, Brady, Robinson, Long, Clark, Byrne, Judge, Cullen, Parrot, Collins)

Here is the Ireland team for #IRDEN🇮🇪🇩🇰 #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/pzwvrbJQyI — FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) November 18, 2019

Perfect conditions in @AVIVAStadium

Getting closer to kick-off...#IRDEN🇮🇪🇩🇰 #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/vj9KRu6zet — FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) November 18, 2019

Less than 200 tickets remaining for #IRLDEN🇮🇪🇩🇰

Make sure you’re in your seats early to welcome @Realaldo474 to the pitch before kick-off

➡️ https://t.co/sa7BcXr5yt #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/ccwnE313vd — FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) November 17, 2019

Team news and manager interviews to follow !

It's not just Eriksen who Ireland should be wary of, though. Åge Hariede possesses a wealth of gifted footballers at his disposal including the likes of Leicester captain Kasper Schmeichel, highly-rated Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen, RB Leipzig forward Yussuf Poulsen and Thomas Delaney of Borussia Dortmund. A huge test for the Green Army.

Denmark are almost certain of their qualification to  Euro 2020, with Ireland needing to win by eight goals tomorrow in order from them to drop into the playoff spots. The Danes have breezed through the qualification process effectively and efficiently, notching some heavy routs against the likes of Georgia and Gibraltar along the way. 

The sponsorship disputes that caused a mutiny among the senior players back in September has well and truly been brushed under the carpet as Denmark prepare to build on their successful world cup campaign that saw them just miss out on a quarter-final spot via a penalty shootout.  With contractual troubles back in North London, Christian Eriksen is relishing his escapes to the national team, scoring five goals in his last six appearances. 

Make no bones about it : the Republic of Ireland men's national football team simply cannot find the back of the net. Despite losing only one match, drawing three and winning three, Ireland have only scored six goals in seven of their qualifiers. A dismal statistic that has even been usurped by Georgia, a nation 54 places below them in the world rankings. 

However, it's not as though Ireland are spoilt for choice offensively. The current squad contains few stellar attacking players, the most gifted of the lot probably being Sheffield United's Callum Robinson or Aston Villa's Conor Hourihane.

McCarthy has chopped and changed with the striker position, experimenting with David McGoldrick, James Collins, Scott Hogan and then recently, in-form youngster Aaron Connolly, whose emergence into the public eye after a brace against Tottenham initially appeared to have solved the conundrum until he suffered a groin injury at Old Trafford last week.

Luckily, it isn't a long-term injury so Connolly should be available for the playoffs (should they lose or draw to Denmark). But even then, is it wise to rest the goalscoring burden upon a 19-year-old ?

McCarthy needs to decide on his attacking options, and do so sooner rather than later. 

The Green Army have by no means disgraced themselves in the qualifiers. Finishing 3rd was what was expected when drawn in a group with Switzerland and Denmark, and while they may feel aggrieved after disposing realistic automatic hopes with a 0-0 draw against Georgia, McCarthy's side have ultimately given a decent account of themselves.

Should the inevitable play out and they miss out on automatic qualification, it's all about looking onwards and upwards to the playoffs.  

To stand any chance of automatic qualification to Euro 2020, Mick McCarthy's side must defeat Denmark at the Aviva Stadium. Then, they pray that Switzerland squander three points in Gibraltar - it's as simple as that. The odds are thin: Gibraltar haven't won a single game throughout the qualifying rounds, amassing a goal difference  of -23 - and while the playoff route is still open for Ireland, this path has proven it's     lottery-esque qualities all too often in recent years. To some, Ireland's fate is sealed. But stranger things have happened in football.

Hello and welcome to VAVEL UK’s live minute-by-minute match coverage and commentary of Republic of Ireland vs Denmark. Monday’s game kicks off at 7:45PM GMT but until then you’ll have plenty of pre-match build-up and analysis from me, Toby Bowles. Make sure you stay following.