
Football
Share
Published 16:55 16 Jun 2016 BST
Explore more on these topics:
Unfortunately the ball ricocheted off Clark and past Randolph. The centre-half, who had flirted with danger on a number of occasions as the Irish team retreated towards their own goal, had scored an own goal.
The first own goal by an Irish player at a major tournament. The first in 16 matches at European Championships and World Cups. It was enough to earn Sweden a point and deny Ireland a famous win.
"I found it hard to sleep after the game, it kept going over in my head," said Clark on Thursday as he spoke ahead of Saturday's clash with Belgium. "The next day you have to wake up, try and put that to one side and focus on the next game. Which is what I have done."Richard Keogh sat beside Clark in the gymnasium at Stade de Montbauron, which has been transformed into the Irish media centre. The Derby County captain was a near-permanent fixture in qualifying but is unlikely to dislodge Clark in Bordeaux.
It would be harsh in the extreme to drop Clark after one mistake in an otherwise excellent display, which saw him marshal Ibrahimovic for large periods at Stade de France. As Keogh himself said, there was little else Clark could do when the cross came in.
That didn't stop Clark from tormenting himself on Monday night, before snapping out of his funk in time to get back to work on Tuesday.
"It is one of those things. You think about it for that night, as I said I found it hard to sleep but when I woke up the next day you have to push that to one side, forget about it, concentrate on training and recovery and all the things you need to prepare yourself for the game coming up, which I feel I have done," he said. "All the lads have said the same. There is nothing I could have done at the time, I don't think. It is the natural reaction for a defender to try and defend the ball from going in the goal but there was a guy behind me and I tried to get it out of the way but unfortunately it went in the goal."With the unfortunate incident out of his system the hope is Clark will sleep well between now and Saturday's encounter at Stade de Bordeaux.
Live sport on TV in Ireland this weekend – Football, GAA, Rugby – April 24th to 26th
Some huge clashes! The ultimate TV guide for live weekend sport in Ireland is back! It’s another huge week in the Premier League with Arsenal hosting Newcastle, there are a host of massive inter-county championship matches in both hurling and Gaelic football, and there is an intriguing Irish derby in the URC to look forward […]
Football
12h
Shane Long details why he missed celebration of one Ireland’s best ever moments
Well that’s a pity. Shane Long’s name will forever be etched in Irish footballing history. His goal in Ireland’s 1-0 win over Germany in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign was one of the best finishes ever seen at the Aviva Stadium, and was the catalyst for wild celebrations both during after the game. However, the […]
Football
13h
The weekend’s action: Follow all of the football as City host Arsenal
Football