Ireland failed to get the necessary points in their final Euro 2016 qualifier on Sunday, losing 2-1 against Poland and finishing in third place in Group D. The result means Poland have qualified for next year's European Championship, while Ireland will have to win a play-off to join them.Grzegorz Krychowiak gave the hosts an early lead, but Jonathan Walters equalised from the penalty spot within minutes after a frantic startto the match. Robert Lewandowski made it 2-1 just before half-time, and Poland easily clung onto the lead in the second half. John O'Shea was sent off in injury time.Ireland played a poor match overall and were thoroughly outplayed by the Poles, who deservedly booked their spot in Euro 2016.Shane Long, the hero in the win over Germany, was awarded a start for his heroics on Thursday, per the team's official Twitter account:Ireland needed a win to qualify directly for Euro 2016 and avoid a play-off, and they started with plenty of attacking intensity. In-form striker Lewandowski was watched closely, and the Irish defence wasn't afraid to get physical with the Bayern Munich star in order to limit his space.Kamil Glik could have been handed an early caution for going through the back of Long, while James McClean wasn't happy with Lukasz Piszczek's physical approach to their battle down the wing, either.Chances were few early, but with their first real threatening action, the hosts took the lead. Krychowiak was left wide open on the edge of the box on a corner kick and blasted a shot on goal, with the ball deflecting off Glik and ending up in the back of the net.ESPN FC's Miguel Delaney didn't think the Poles were going to sit back:Ireland answered immediately, however. Michal Pazdan went in high on Long, and the official didn't hesitate for one second, pointing directly for the penalty spot.Walters took his responsibility, putting the ball beyond the grasp of Swansea City star Lukasz Fabianski. Bleacher Report UK shared how the Irish fans must have felt at this point:Krzysztof Maczynski thought he'd given the lead back to the hosts minutes later, but to the dismay of the homecrowd, the official ruled out the goal for offside. O'Shea then ran into a yellow card of his own for a rough tackle in midfield, as the pace of the match started to increase dramatically.Maczynski tried his luck from distance but curled an effort wide, with the Poles now mainly controlling possession and looking the more threatening side. Ireland's defence stood firm, however, giving away few open looks and keeping Lewandowski out of the match.Maczynski again looked the most dangerous man, coming just short when trying to direct the ball into the net, and with half-time approaching, a 1-1 score at the half seemed inevitable. But Lewandowski picked his moment to shine to perfection, powering a header past Darren Randolph to put Poland back into the lead.ESPN FC were hardly surprised:The goal didn't really change all that much, as Ireland always needed a goal to move past the Poles in the standings based on their head-to-head record. Irish Comedian Dara O Briain didn't even mind:Poland pressed for a third goal to end the half but couldn't really find any openings.The second half nearly started in disaster for the visitors, as Lewandowski was brought down by Jeff Hendrick on the edge of the box and the official seemed to doubt whether to award the penalty. He ultimately decided against it, to the anger of the home fans.Poland were all over Ireland to begin the second half, and the Irish seemed ill-equipped to deal with the pressure, sending a number of poor passes out of bounds.Long went down after a harsh tackle from Glik and couldn't continue, leading to the introduction of veteran striker and hero of many battles Robbie Keane. SportsJOE.ie was confident he had one more pivotal goal in him:With his first shot, he blasted the ball miles over the goal, but he remained a threat to score nonetheless. The Poles' hot start to the second half didn't last, and Ireland started to take control of the match more and more.Randolph produced a big save to deny Krychowiak his second goal, which would have severely damaged their chances of passing the Poles in the standings, and SportsJOE.ie was starting to lose it:Ireland simply couldn't produce enough danger in the second half and rarely looked like troubling Poland, while the hosts continued to prod for a third. Seamus Coleman did well to intercept a clever ball for Lewandowski, with the striker ready to run at Randolph.Aiden McGeady could have been the hero for the visitors, but his shot sailed well over the bar with 10 minutes left to play. Richard Keogh found some space for a header, but Fabianski comfortably handled the effort.Ireland's final push in search of that all-important goal was far too little, far too late, and Poland easily hung on for the 2-1, qualifying for Euro 2016 in the process. O'Shea was sent off in injury time, adding to Ireland's woes, as the veteran defender now faces a suspension. Per SportsJOE.ie, he was lucky to last that long:Ireland will now have to go through a play-off to make it to Euro 2016, and with the likes of Denmark, Hungary and possibly the Netherlands as potential opponents, Martin O'Neill's side will have their work cut out for them.Based on their showings during qualifiers, they certainly belong at the tournament, although they'll have to play far better than they did on Sunday.Post-Match ReactionScorer Krychowiak took to Twitter to celebrate the qualification:As shared by the Independent's Miguel Delaney, Ireland manager O'Neil acknowledged his team lacked the energy it had in the 1-0 upset of Germany, but he was very agitated with Poland's tactics in slowing down the match by what he felt was simulating fouls:Follow @ReverschPassRead more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
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