We demand a recount.
Asked any fair-minded Irish fan if Shane Long has had a fair shake of it at Euro 2016 and they would tell you, ‘No flipping way’.
The Southampton striker has had lumps kicked out of him, has been chopped down in full flow, was booted in the head by Belgian defenders and yellow carded for slagging Italy’s dodgy reserve goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu.
Crazy decision https://t.co/RWi5gpn5nb
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 18, 2016
However, a glance at the official Uefa records for the European Championships tell a different story. Long and Northern Irish forward Kyle Lafferty are the two players who have conceded most frees.
Long is listed as having committed nine fouls in his three games so far. He has been fouled six times but that is a long way off Poland’s Robert Lewandowski [16].
Lafferty, who bowed out with his country today, is listed as having committed nine fouls and being felled on six occasions.
The closest Irish player to Long on the naughty step is James McCarthy – seven fouls and fouled twice – but no-one would argue with that. The stats for James McClean are interesting, especially when you take into account his combative nature. The Derryman has earned his team five frees while only giving away two.
As for Ireland’s second round opponents, their biggest culprit is Patrice Evra [6 fouls and felled twice] while Kingsley Coman is definitely more sinned against than sinning. He has only committed one foul while being hacked and hoofed eight times.
