The Republic of Ireland and the All Whites played out an entertaining 1-1 draw in front of 26,517 fans at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on November 21, a match which the visiting team came desperately close to winning in the closing moments. Throughout the first half-hour, Darren Bazeley's charges didn't even look like offering an attacking threat in a contest dominated by the Irish, lively winger Mikey Johnston particularly. The Celtic man's brilliant jinking run in off the left flank in the sixth minute saw his leave a trail of All Whites in his wake, only for Johnston to slip just as he was about to pull the trigger. Two minutes later, Johnston played in the overlapping James McClean, who was making his final appearance for Eire before retiring from the international scene with 103 caps to his name. His cross was blocked by Michael Boxall, prompting a string of Irish corners, all of which were thwarted. Johnston was up to his tricks again in the twelfth minute, beating four opponents on a mazy run before playing in Matt Doherty. His cross fizzed behind Adam Idah, who next featured in the sixteenth minute as he played Jason Knight in on the left flank, then raced forward anticipating a return cross. Knight's delivery duly arrived at the near post at the same time as Idah. Alas for Eire, Doherty, too, appeared on the scene at just the wrong moment, and the sight of Idah and Doherty getting in each other's way as the ball sped across the six-yard box was a welcome one from an All Whites' perspective. Seconds later, McClean and Johnston - what a handful he was proving to be! - combined once again, the latter's brilliant backheeled pass creating a one-two with Jamie McGrath. Johnston then evaded a challenge before delivering a cross to the far post which Idah headed into the grateful gloves of Max Crocombe, the first save the goalkeeper had been forced to make in a spellbinding opening stanza from the Irish. The next time Crocombe handled the ball entailed fishing it out of his net as Eire took the lead in the 28th minute. Nando Pijnaker was caught in possession by Mark Sykes, who presented the ball on a plate to Idah. The stranded Crocombe was afforded no chance as the striker picked his spot - 1-0, and you couldn't say it hadn't been coming. Conceding seemed to stir the All Whites into life, as they were by far the more dominant team for the remainder of the half. In the 34th minute, Liberato Cacace sparked a move down the left which saw Matt Garbett switch play to Tim Payne on the opposite flank. He combined with Sarpreet Singh - he had a fine game - before Garbett featured again, the midfielder unleashing a shot which was diverted past the post by All Whites' captain Chris Wood. Four minutes later, Singh worked a one-two with Payne on the right before curling a shot towards the top far corner which brought the best out of Eire's Liverpool goalkeeper, Caoimhin Kelleher, whose only involvement in the match this was as he only played the first half of this contest. Both goals came under threat as the half drew to a close. Johnston's 44th minute free-kick saw Andrew Omobamidele flick a header goalwards, the ball deflecting past the post off goalscorer Idah. The All Whites retorted instantly, Cacace's driving run through the middle leaving three opponents trailing in his wake before he played in Singh, who drilled a shot into the near post side-netting - he should have hit the target at the very least. The visitors were first out of the blocks in the second spell, the charging figure of Garbett linking with Singh in the 49th minute before racing forward for a return cross which the midfielder volleyed inches over the bar.

Seconds later, Wood was thwarted in the penalty area by a terrific piece of defending by Omobamidele, prompting Johnston to delve into his box of tricks again and cause merry hell for those wearing white. Jayson Molumby was the beneficiary of his team-mate's trickery, only to send his twenty-yarder narrowly past the post. After Shane Duffy had directed a thumping header straight at Crocombe on receipt of a McClean corner, the All Whites levelled the scores in the 59th minute, Garbett thumping the ball home from the edge of the penalty area after a scintillating run by Payne had culminated in a one-two with Singh before the fullback invited the midfielder to let fly. Back came Eire almost immediately, Crocombe forced to tip Sykes' acute-angled drive over the near post in the 61st minute. Three minutes later, Boxall broke up another Irish raid and unleashed Singh, who worked a one-two with McCowatt before chancing his arm with another curled attempt. As Kelleher did in the first spell, so, too, did his replacement, Mark Travers tipping the effort to safety. Twenty minutes from time, Swiss referee Urs Schnyder had to apologise to the Irish players as he inadvertently got in the way of a highly promising move, with Johnston looking to set up substitute Ryan Manning for a shot on goal. The offside flag denied Boxall a rare international goal in the 71st minute, the defender having prodded home from close range after Travers could only parry Cacace's thirty yard piledriver. The sight of the ball in the Irish net inspired the All Whites, who fancied their chances of a come-from-behind win. Three minutes later, McCowatt and Garbett combined for the benefit of Singh, who headed the cross into the stride of Max Mata. Wood's replacement lashed a shot on the turn over the bar, while the substitute's flying header, seconds later, looped over all-comers and just past the far post after Singh had picked out Mata with an angled cross to the far post. Ten minutes from time, Travers' solid save stopped Mata once more, after Singh had again picked out the newcomer, who could have had a quickfire hat-trick had fortune favoured him. The luck of the Irish being what it is, however … "The Boys In Green" set their sights on grabbing a late winner in the 86th minute, Molumby leading the charge. He picked out substitute Evan Ferguson, whose shot was parried by Crocombe. Sykes was unable to turn home the rebound, while moments later, Ferguson's penalty claims fell on deaf ears as he went to ground under pressure from Boxall. Back came Bazeley's charges, Singh linking with Eli Just, whose lovely cross to the far post had Marko Stamenic as its intended target. Manning's intervention forced a corner, and while Eire stood firm defending this, the concession of a late free-kick nearly cost them dearly. Clayton Lewis' set-piece delivery picked out the head of freshly introduced substitute Tyler Bindon, whose header - the last touch of the game - flashed agonisingly past the far post, denying the All Whites a dramatic winner in a match which saw periods of great enterprise from both teams, Johnston and Singh the individual stand-outs in a highly entertaining encounter. Eire:                 Kelleher (Travers, 46); Doherty (Browne, 73), Duffy, Omobamidele, McClean (Manning, 66); Molumby, Knight (Cullen, 54), McGrath; Sykes, Idah (Ferguson, 66), Johnston (Moran, 78) All Whites:      Crocombe; Payne (Bindon, 89), Boxall, Pijnaker, Cacace; Garbett (Lewis, 82), Bell, Stamenic; Singh, Wood (Mata, 60), McCowatt (Just, 77) Referee:           Urs Schnyder (Switzerland)