ARMENIA AZ LEFT A SCAR ON PLAYERS

FINN AZAZ pulled no punches with his judgement.

- BY GARRY DOYLE

He and his teammates let the country down in Armenia.

The punishment - a 2-1 defeat and a public flogging - fit the crime.

But now he wants to put things right.

After starting the campaign with a draw and a defeat, Ireland are in grave danger of slipping out of this qualification race before it even reaches the finishing straight.

However, everything isn’t as bad as it seems.

Four games remain. They need results in three of them; at home to Armenia and Portugal, and away to Hungary. Two wins and a draw may be enough to get into the playoffs.