JOHN O’SHEA has called for Ireland to be ‘horrible’ to claim a famous win against Portugal.
More than two decades since Cristiano Ronaldo turned O’Shea inside out to earn a move from Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United, the former team-mates lock horns in Aveiro.
Ronaldo, 39, is bidding to head off to Euro 2024 on a high in what could be his last game on home soil.
O’Shea, 43, is hoping to strengthen his claims to land the Ireland job on a permanent basis by following up last week’s defeat of Hungary with another victory.
And the Waterford man has spelled out what he thinks his team need to do to claim a famous scalp.
O’Shea said: “It’s a huge test for the boys, for all of us, but one we have to relish.
“It’s a simple scenario – you go out and perform and play to your levels, focus on where we can stop, frustrate and also hurt Portugal.
“And build the mentality in the group that we can frustrate, be compact, be horrible, but also that quality of play, intensity, you bring all those things together if you can and then go score goals, most importantly.
“Away from home it’s what you need to do get the result, thinking about moments in my career and knowing what’s needed in Europe. I think we’d all agree Portugal have good squad.
“We got a win against Hungary, we get a bit of confidence from that, you see they go out and dispatch Israel fairly comfortable. It’s on us.
“We had people watching Portugal play Croatia. It was a good game, good test, a totally different team could be selected.
“It’s a fresh start for them, a different test. We’ll focus on what we can do. If it is a good result, great.”
United signed Ronaldo after he impressed against them for Sporting in August 2003.
O’Shea was given a torrid time by the player who was relatively unknown at the time.
Roy Keane said he had to see the club doctor at half-time because he was having dizzy spells, Alex Ferguson told Peter Kenyon that the Waterford man had been given a migraine by Ronaldo whilst Rio Ferdinand quipped that he must have had an oxygen tank next to him in the dressing room at the break and was unable to speak when team-mates told him he needed to get tight.
When asked if he knew from the first time he had seen Ronaldo that he was special, the Ireland interim boss answered with a smile: “What are you referring to?”
United had just flown back from the USA before that game and O’Shea said: “I was slightly jet-lagged, but I do remember. I won’t be playing, thankfully, tonight.”