It means that Ireland can leapfrog the Scots into third place tonight with a win in Faro.
4 Sep 2015
7:21PM
TEAM NEWS: Here’s how Ireland will line out and, as per usual, Martin O’Neill has shaken things up a bit. Cyrus Christie and Ciaran Clark both start in defence with Jeff Hendrick getting the nod in midfield.
A quick word on Seamus Coleman. Martin O’Neill has confirmed that the Everton defender has a tight hamstring but it is precautionary and he is expected to be fit for Monday’s game.
In a week in which even the All-Ireland hurling final has struggled to draw down its rightful share of the public’s attention, with Mayo v Dublin and rugby matters rudely butting in, a qualifier against Gibraltar is many miles off-Broadway.
But these two games are the last chance for O’Neill and his squad to somehow repossess the psychic energy of a qualifying group which has drifted away from Ireland. Positive performances and helpful results elsewhere — essentially, a major Scottish stumble — and October might get interesting.
4 Sep 2015
7:38PM
There are roughly 3,500 fans in the Estadio Algarve. About 3,000 of those are Irish!
4 Sep 2015
7:44PM
We’ve had the anthems so let’s have your predictions.
Richie Sadlier says 6-0 on the basis that Gibraltar are, erm, awful.
KICK OFF: We’re underway in Faro. Ireland attacking the Hill 16 end.
4 Sep 2015
7:47PM
1 min – Robbie Brady shows a nice turn of pace in the opening minute but Robbie Keane’s touch is a bit loose and Gibraltar put a stop to things.
4 Sep 2015
7:49PM
3 mins – All Ireland so far but we’re still waiting for our first shot on goal. Weso chases a long ball down the channel and wins the corner.
4 Sep 2015
7:50PM
The ball breaks to McCarthy on the edge of the box but it comes off a Gibraltar player and is out for another corner … which comes to nothing.
4 Sep 2015
7:51PM
Hoolahan tries to flick the ball past Casciaro into the box but it comes back off the striker’s hand and Ireland will have a free in a dangerous position.
4 Sep 2015
7:52PM
GREAT SAVE! Jordan Perez — the keeper derided as “hopeless” by Liam Brady moments ago — does brilliantly to get across and turn Robbie Brady’s free around the post.
4 Sep 2015
7:54PM
Hendrick squeezes the ball towards goal but Perez gets a hand on it to deny Walters.
A moment later, Keane does brilliantly to head back across goal into the danger zone but there’s no Irish man there to finish.
4 Sep 2015
7:55PM
Great pressure by Ireland. Christie is fouled and it leads to the first yellow card of the game for Kyle Casciaro.
4 Sep 2015
7:55PM
OFF THE BAR! Brady rasps in a free kick and Clark is unmarked, but his header rattles back off the bar. Ireland are getting closer and closer.
GOOOOOO… OFFSIDE! Robbie dinks the ball towards the Gibraltar goal and Walters pounces to score with a diving header. He’s offside though, it won’t stand.
4 Sep 2015
8:00PM
Keane tries to slip the ball through to Walters but there are too many bodies packed in front of the Gibraltar goal and it’s cut out.
The latest from Germany — Thomas Muller has put the hosts 1-0 up against Poland
4 Sep 2015
8:02PM
No goal yet. At what point do we start to get worried?
4 Sep 2015
8:03PM
Walker whips in a free towards Shay Given’s goal and Ciaran Clark has no choice but to slide across and turn it behind for a corner.
4 Sep 2015
8:05PM
SIDE NETTING! Great chance for Ireland as Hoolahan rakes a beautiful cross to the back post. Keane lets it come across his body before volleying with his right… but it’s into the side-netting.
That was a great chance.
4 Sep 2015
8:06PM
Two balls on the pitch but Ireland win a corner with the one that matters.
More from Germany — It’s now 2-0 thanks to Mario Gotze.
A German win and an Irish win would leave Ireland just two points behind Poland by my maths.
4 Sep 2015
8:08PM
Ireland take a short corner, Brady whips in the cross, and Duarte has a fistful of John O’Shea’s jersey. O’Shea goes to ground but the referee is having none of it.
4 Sep 2015
8:09PM
Robbie Brady is limping a little bit. Looks like he rolled his ankle as he sent in a cross.
4 Sep 2015
8:11PM
Gibraltar having one of their better spells here — and by that, I mean they’re in possession.
Cyrus Christie has scored at one end — and he may just have prevented the equaliser at the other end. Bardon’s cross is set for Erin Barnett but Christie gets his head on it and flicks it behind.
Another goal in Frankfurt — and it’s another Bayern Munich player. Robert Lewandowski makes it Germany 2-1 Poland with just over five to play in the first half.
Jon Walters looks to be fouled by Joseph Chipolina and grabs the ball as he goes to ground. The referee decides that’s a deliberate handball and books Walters.
4 Sep 2015
8:29PM
Half a chance for Ireland but Robbie Keane’s header is wide. They’re making tough work of this so far.
GOAL! Gibraltar 0-2 Ireland (Keane, 49′) This ain’t pretty — but it doesn’t really matter at this stage. Jon Walters attacks from the left and his cross is toe-poked by Barnett onto the post.
It comes off Perez’s back and trickles across the line where Robbie Keane is waiting to tap it in from two yards out.
That’s international goal 66 — and it looks like he enjoyed it as much as the 65 others.
Gibraltar aren’t exactly sitting back and accepting their lot here. They’re not creating too many chances either, mind, but they’re playing a bit in Ireland’s half.
4 Sep 2015
9:09PM
Walters flicks the ball on and James McCarthy gets in behind Bardon. The ball won’t quite sit for him so he does well to get his volley on target, and Perez does just as well to save.
4 Sep 2015
9:11PM
Another good run by Christie who carries the ball to the edge of the box. He lays it off to Hoolahan but doesn’t quite seem ready for the return and Gibraltar cut it out.
4 Sep 2015
9:12PM
DOUBLE IRELAND SUB: Stephen Quinn and Shane Long on for James McCarthy and Robbie Keane.
No hat-trick tonight for Robbie — he’ll have to wait until Monday night to equal Gerd Muller’s record.
4 Sep 2015
9:14PM
Robbie Brady has to put in a last-ditch challenge to deny Sergeant a clean shot on goal after he bundled his way past Ciaran Clark. Good hustle.
4 Sep 2015
9:17PM
It looked like Aiden McGeady was about to come on … but now he’s not. End of dispatch.
4 Sep 2015
9:19PM
Sitter! Hoolahan skips past Chipolina in the box but his shot is deflected and bobbles across to Walters who has all day and all night to get his shot on target. He can’t get his feet right though and, off balance, scuffs his effort badly wide.
4 Sep 2015
9:19PM
IRELAND SUB: That’s Hoolahan’s last action – he’s replaced by Aiden McGeady. Another good night for Weso, in so far as anyone really has a “good night” against Gibraltar.
GOAL! Gibraltar 0-4 Ireland (Long, 79′) Gibraltar must be getting tired. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for the sorry excuse for defending I’ve just seen.
Hendrick gets to the byline and crosses. For some reason, Erin Barnett completely ignores Shane Long, allows him to steal in in front of him, and head unchallenged past Perez.
If you saw it in the Phoenix Park on a Saturday, you’d have a conniption.
4 Sep 2015
9:27PM
Update from Frankfurt: Gotze has another and it looks like Germany are on their way to three points. They lead Poland 3-1.
If it all stays the same, Germany will go top, Poland will be second, and Ireland will be two points back in third.
Game well and truly on, Ger.
4 Sep 2015
9:30PM
Ireland push on in search of a fifth but Whelan dinks a fairly harmless ball over the top.
4 Sep 2015
9:33PM
We’re into stoppage time in Faro.
4 Sep 2015
9:34PM
McGeady sticks it up at the back post but Walters and Clark get in each other’s way and it floats wide. That’ll probably be Ireland’s last attack.
As it happened: Gibraltar v Ireland, Euro 2016 qualifier
Good evening and welcome to The42′s live minute-by-minute coverage of Gibraltar v Ireland.
Kick-off is at 7.45pm so you still have 25 minutes or so to make your cup of tea and get settled.
By this stage, you’ve probably heard the big news from Georgia – the hosts have beaten Scotland 1-0 to blow Group D wide open again.
Valeri Kazaishvili is our new national hero. Here’s his goal:
It means that Ireland can leapfrog the Scots into third place tonight with a win in Faro.
TEAM NEWS: Here’s how Ireland will line out and, as per usual, Martin O’Neill has shaken things up a bit. Cyrus Christie and Ciaran Clark both start in defence with Jeff Hendrick getting the nod in midfield.
Hoolahan, Keane and Walters – yes please!
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A quick word on Seamus Coleman. Martin O’Neill has confirmed that the Everton defender has a tight hamstring but it is precautionary and he is expected to be fit for Monday’s game.
It’s still 20°+ in Faro – no wonder this lot look like they’re having a ball.
Here’s the Gibraltar team:
The RTÉ panel opened with a brief discussion on goalkeeper Jordan Perez which went something like this:
Brady: “He’s the keeper that played against us in Dublin, isn’t he?”
Sadlier: “Yeah.”
Brady: “Yeah, he’s hopeless.”
Let’s hope that doesn’t come back to haunt the lads.
Let’s not get carried away just yet…
The bookies are normally fairly shrewd when it comes to their money. They make Ireland four-goal favourites tonight, FYI.
While you’re waiting for kick-off, here are some of Tommy Martin’s pre-match thoughts:
There are roughly 3,500 fans in the Estadio Algarve. About 3,000 of those are Irish!
We’ve had the anthems so let’s have your predictions.
Richie Sadlier says 6-0 on the basis that Gibraltar are, erm, awful.
Are you as bullish?
The thoughts of a nation summed up:
KICK OFF: We’re underway in Faro. Ireland attacking the Hill 16 end.
1 min – Robbie Brady shows a nice turn of pace in the opening minute but Robbie Keane’s touch is a bit loose and Gibraltar put a stop to things.
3 mins – All Ireland so far but we’re still waiting for our first shot on goal. Weso chases a long ball down the channel and wins the corner.
The ball breaks to McCarthy on the edge of the box but it comes off a Gibraltar player and is out for another corner … which comes to nothing.
Hoolahan tries to flick the ball past Casciaro into the box but it comes back off the striker’s hand and Ireland will have a free in a dangerous position.
GREAT SAVE! Jordan Perez — the keeper derided as “hopeless” by Liam Brady moments ago — does brilliantly to get across and turn Robbie Brady’s free around the post.
Hendrick squeezes the ball towards goal but Perez gets a hand on it to deny Walters.
A moment later, Keane does brilliantly to head back across goal into the danger zone but there’s no Irish man there to finish.
Great pressure by Ireland. Christie is fouled and it leads to the first yellow card of the game for Kyle Casciaro.
OFF THE BAR! Brady rasps in a free kick and Clark is unmarked, but his header rattles back off the bar. Ireland are getting closer and closer.
Hmmm…
GOOOOOO… OFFSIDE! Robbie dinks the ball towards the Gibraltar goal and Walters pounces to score with a diving header. He’s offside though, it won’t stand.
Keane tries to slip the ball through to Walters but there are too many bodies packed in front of the Gibraltar goal and it’s cut out.
The latest from Germany — Thomas Muller has put the hosts 1-0 up against Poland
No goal yet. At what point do we start to get worried?
Walker whips in a free towards Shay Given’s goal and Ciaran Clark has no choice but to slide across and turn it behind for a corner.
SIDE NETTING! Great chance for Ireland as Hoolahan rakes a beautiful cross to the back post. Keane lets it come across his body before volleying with his right… but it’s into the side-netting.
That was a great chance.
Two balls on the pitch but Ireland win a corner with the one that matters.
More from Germany — It’s now 2-0 thanks to Mario Gotze.
A German win and an Irish win would leave Ireland just two points behind Poland by my maths.
Ireland take a short corner, Brady whips in the cross, and Duarte has a fistful of John O’Shea’s jersey. O’Shea goes to ground but the referee is having none of it.
Robbie Brady is limping a little bit. Looks like he rolled his ankle as he sent in a cross.
Gibraltar having one of their better spells here — and by that, I mean they’re in possession.
GOAL! Gibraltar 0-1 Ireland (Christie, 26′)
There’s the breakthrough — and it’s Cyrus Christie on his competitive debut for Ireland.
It’s a great goal as he takes a throw, plays a neat one-two with Hoolahan, and then weaves his way past two Gibraltar defenders into the box.
The finish is a beaut as well, bending off the outside of his boot and into the bottom left corner.
It couldn’t come quickly enough for Ireland.
Walters very nearly catches Perez off guard but he tips it over the bar.
Cyrus Christie has scored at one end — and he may just have prevented the equaliser at the other end. Bardon’s cross is set for Erin Barnett but Christie gets his head on it and flicks it behind.
Here’s that goal again:
Walker tries his luck from all of 40 yards. It’s well struck but Shay Given was always behind it.
Another goal in Frankfurt — and it’s another Bayern Munich player. Robert Lewandowski makes it Germany 2-1 Poland with just over five to play in the first half.
Jon Walters looks to be fouled by Joseph Chipolina and grabs the ball as he goes to ground. The referee decides that’s a deliberate handball and books Walters.
Half a chance for Ireland but Robbie Keane’s header is wide. They’re making tough work of this so far.
Into injury time at the end of the first half…
HALF TIME: Peep peep. Ireland take a slender lead into the break.
Back in five.
We’re back underway again.
Big penalty shout for Ireland in the first minute of the second half but the referee awards a free against Robbie Keane instead.
Brady whips in another cross but it has a smidge too much pace and Ciaran Clark can’t get there at the back post.
GOAL! Gibraltar 0-2 Ireland (Keane, 49′) This ain’t pretty — but it doesn’t really matter at this stage. Jon Walters attacks from the left and his cross is toe-poked by Barnett onto the post.
It comes off Perez’s back and trickles across the line where Robbie Keane is waiting to tap it in from two yards out.
That’s international goal 66 — and it looks like he enjoyed it as much as the 65 others.
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PENALTY TO IRELAND!
Hoolahan fouled in the box by Walker — and Robbie will have a chance to make it three…
GOAL! Gibraltar 0-3 Ireland (Keane pen, 51′)
Of course he wasn’t going to miss that! Perez goes left, Robbie goes right, and the skipper’s on course for another hattrick.
Ye can all relax now…
SUB: Gibraltar make the first change — Jake Gosling on for Kyle Casciaro.
Here’s Robbie’s first:
You bet he enjoyed it!
Gibraltar aren’t exactly sitting back and accepting their lot here. They’re not creating too many chances either, mind, but they’re playing a bit in Ireland’s half.
Walters flicks the ball on and James McCarthy gets in behind Bardon. The ball won’t quite sit for him so he does well to get his volley on target, and Perez does just as well to save.
Another good run by Christie who carries the ball to the edge of the box. He lays it off to Hoolahan but doesn’t quite seem ready for the return and Gibraltar cut it out.
DOUBLE IRELAND SUB: Stephen Quinn and Shane Long on for James McCarthy and Robbie Keane.
No hat-trick tonight for Robbie — he’ll have to wait until Monday night to equal Gerd Muller’s record.
Robbie Brady has to put in a last-ditch challenge to deny Sergeant a clean shot on goal after he bundled his way past Ciaran Clark. Good hustle.
It looked like Aiden McGeady was about to come on … but now he’s not. End of dispatch.
Sitter! Hoolahan skips past Chipolina in the box but his shot is deflected and bobbles across to Walters who has all day and all night to get his shot on target. He can’t get his feet right though and, off balance, scuffs his effort badly wide.
IRELAND SUB: That’s Hoolahan’s last action – he’s replaced by Aiden McGeady. Another good night for Weso, in so far as anyone really has a “good night” against Gibraltar.
GOAL! Gibraltar 0-4 Ireland (Long, 79′) Gibraltar must be getting tired. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for the sorry excuse for defending I’ve just seen.
Hendrick gets to the byline and crosses. For some reason, Erin Barnett completely ignores Shane Long, allows him to steal in in front of him, and head unchallenged past Perez.
If you saw it in the Phoenix Park on a Saturday, you’d have a conniption.
Update from Frankfurt: Gotze has another and it looks like Germany are on their way to three points. They lead Poland 3-1.
If it all stays the same, Germany will go top, Poland will be second, and Ireland will be two points back in third.
Game well and truly on, Ger.
Ireland push on in search of a fifth but Whelan dinks a fairly harmless ball over the top.
We’re into stoppage time in Faro.
McGeady sticks it up at the back post but Walters and Clark get in each other’s way and it floats wide. That’ll probably be Ireland’s last attack.
FULL TIME: Gibraltar 0-4 Ireland
Job done. Ireland move into third place and things look a little bit more rosy than they did at 5pm this evening.
Here’s how the table looks now, although it will change again once Germany’s win over Poland is confirmed:
That’s it from me for now but stay with us across the evening where we’ll have lots more reaction and analysis.
Thanks for reading.
Home comforts for Ireland but the future is still uncertain
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