'Penalty miss' - Ireland fans angry at Southampton duo for ruining World Cup dream

Ireland fans express their frustration with the Southampton duo Ryan Manning and Finn Azaz after they stood central to the nation’s World Cup heartbreak against Czechia.

The highly anticipated International matchday is over, and so is the March break for most Southampton players. While a few still have games left, the focus will now turn to the Championship playoff race with only friendlies remaining on their calendar.

First, Daniel Peretz’s half‑time substitution in the Georgia‑Israel friendly relieved him of further national duties. While the keeper got off lightly, other Saints ended the matchday with World Cup heartbreak.

The trend began with Southampton defensive midfielder Shea Charles being eliminated following a 2‑0 loss to Italy. Despite a brilliant performance from Charles, he couldn’t carry his team through in their World Cup dream.

Soon, he was followed by teammates Ryan Manning and Finn Azaz in the string of World Cup heartbreaks. But unlike Charles, who played the protagonist in Northern Ireland’s narrow defeat, Manning and Azaz found themselves cast as antagonists in Ireland’s chaotic elimination.

Ireland was up to a 2-0 lead against Czechia until the 23rd minute. But a reckless penalty conceded by Ryan Manning and Finn Azaz’s missed spot kick in the shootout allowed Czechia to override Ireland’s early momentum.

Fans call out Ryan Manning for inexcusable match-defining error

Manning had a convincing start to the World Cup qualifier. Having delivered a fantastic ball that helped Ireland build the 2-0 cushion, the Saints star was on his way to being remembered as one of the night’s heroes.

However, a glaring error turned him from protagonist to antagonist within minutes. While Southampton fans are familiar with Manning’s occasional defensive blips, the player committed an error of much bigger magnitude for Ireland.

Despite Ireland leading the game 2-0, Manning gave away a reckless penalty to invite Czechia back into the game. The foul was so blatant and unnecessary that fans aren’t growing tired of calling it out.

A supporter mentioned, “It was a horrific penalty to give away – especially when Collins had the whole situation totally under control.“

Notably, Manning conceded the penalty by pulling back Czechia captain Ladislav Krejčí by his shirt. With the ball rolling towards the goal line and Collins covering behind him, it was a needless intervention from Manning.

This saw Manning collect a deserved booking and ignited Czechia’s comeback after Schick converted the spot kick to bring the score 2-1.

Another fan summed up Ryan Manning’s blunder, mentioning: “You can’t plan for stupidity and what Manning did there is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen on a football pitch.“

Finn Azaz’s penalty miss paved Czechia’s way back into game

While Ryan Manning was at fault for conceding an unnecessary foul, he was joined by Southampton teammate Fin Azaz in handing the tie to Czechia. Though Azaz had a decent game overall, his penalty shootout miss made him the Irish fans’ biggest antagonist of the evening.

A supporter didn’t hesitate in mentioning, “I’d be happy if Finn Azaz never gets another cap either, woeful player honestly regardless of his penalty miss.“

While fan frustration stems from Azaz’s decisive penalty miss, which would have been the winning kick had he scored, the midfielder was far from his usual Southampton level. After an impressive start in the game, Azaz’s chance creation faded as Ireland were pushed onto the back foot in the second half.

Ultimately, Azaz was low on confidence by the time he was tasked with the decisive penalty. With Ireland leading 3‑2 in the shootout, his miss allowed Czechia back into a game that had seemed all but done and dusted.

Another section of fans argued that Azaz’s penalty technique attracted a miss. One supporter mentioned, “There’s a certain way to take a penalty and Finn Azaz and Alan Browne did it in the complete wrong way.“

Crucial penalties are usually converted with one of two techniques: either going all out with power or backing yourself to place a perfectly precise finish into the corner.

Finn Azaz found himself double-minded and ended up trying the bottom corner with a moderately powerful shot. But the Czechia keeper guessed his intentions and produced the save that helped his side pull off an insane comeback.