Ireland 0-2 Greece
Hello, and welcome to tonight’s liveblog.
Ireland are looking to recover from Saturday’s disappointing 2-0 loss to England.
By contrast, the Greeks are coming into this game after an impressive 3-0 victory over Finland.
The visitors will be most people’s favourites this evening, given that they beat the Boys in Green twice in the recent Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Kick-off is at 7.45pm.
Confirmation of tonight’s Ireland XI, which has three changes from the England defeat.
STARTING XI | Ireland v Greece
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) September 10, 2024
Andrew Omobamidele comes into the side as well as Jason Knight and Alan Browne for the crucial match against Greece at the Aviva Stadium tonight 👏
Kick-off is at 7.45pm, not long to go now 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/iSXWRSmDiQ
Who do you think will win tonight?
Poll Results:
We’re underway…
5 mins – Not much to note so far.
Ireland appear to have adopted a 4-5-1 shape, with Brady and Omobamidele as full-backs.
Smallbone is seemingly playing as a 10 almost with Szmodics as the lone striker.
10 mins – Greece are seeing plenty of the ball with Ireland happy to sit back.
Neither side has created a significant chance yet.
11 mins – Chatzigiovanis’ corner finds Koulierakis, who gets in front of Omobamidele and heads just over the bar.
Greece have played most of the football so far with Ireland struggling to acquire any rhythm.
17 mins – It remains a very cagey contest.
But Ireland are coming into it more, with more of the game being played in the Greek half.
19 mins – Browne is in a good position but his cross is straight into the goalkeeper’s arms.
Both centre-backs were in the box — Ireland need to make more of those types of situations.
22 mins: Good interplay between Smallbone and Knight on the edge of the area.
The latter’s low cross finds Browne but his finish is deflected off the nearby defender and safely into the arms of Vlachodimos.
26 mins: Bakasetas produces a decent effort from a free kick about 30 yards out.
However, Kelleher gets down well to parry it away for a corner.
31 mins: Omobamidele has just been somewhat harshly booked for blocking the run of Tzolis.
Otherwise not much has happened in the last few minutes.
33 mins: Szmodics attempts to audaciously lob the goalkeeper from about 40 yards out after Jason Knight’s long punt falls to him.
It’s well off target in the end though.
Here’s one of the few chances Ireland have created thus far…
🇮🇪 0-0 🇬🇷: Ireland with the best passage of play in the game so far as a sweeping pass from Jayson Molumby gets them going, but Alan Browne couldn't find the finish.
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 10, 2024
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38 mins: Collins wins a header on the edge of the area but knocks over Bakasetas as he does so and is penalised.
Szmodics follow-up shot from the edge of the area drifted wide anyway.
42 mins: Ireland have the ball in the net but it’s ruled out for a marginal offside.
It’s a shame as it was a great piece of play.
O’Shea’s cross-field pass found Ogbene, whose spectacular strike found the corner of the net despite Vlachodimos getting a hand on it.
45 mins: Great interplay down the right between Ogbene and Smallbone.
Eventually, the ball was pulled back to Browne on the edge of the area, but the Sunderland star produced a disappointing finish, blazing over the bar.
Ireland are finishing the half strongly.
There will be three minutes of stoppage time.
HALF-TIME: IRELAND 0-0 GREECE
So that’s the first half over.
It’s been far from perfect, but Ireland will be encouraged after an improved showing from Saturday.
Perhaps partially as a result of the change in formation, Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men look much more solid, though the inferior opposition is clearly a factor too.
Chances for both sides have been few and far between, but Ireland came into it more as the half progressed and were unlucky to see a brilliant Ogbene effort ruled out as they finished the stronger of the two sides.
Here’s a look at the moment when Ireland briefly thought they had opened the scoring…
🇮🇪 0-0 🇬🇷: Chiedozie Ogbene has the ball in the net after a stunning strike, but the Irishman had strayed just offside and the goal won't count.
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 10, 2024
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The second half is underway…
IRELAND 0-1 GREECE (Ioannidis 50)
Out of nothing, Greece take the lead.
Bakasetas squares it to Ioannidis, who is afforded far too much space to plant a superb effort into the corner of the net with Kelleher well beaten.
56 mins: Ogbene puts in a decent cross but Knight can’t get enough power in his downward header to trouble the goalkeeper.
Better from Ireland, who have Evan Ferguson warming up.
58 mins: Tsimikas has been booked for a late challenge on Omobamidele.
It looked nasty on the replay and perhaps the Greece star was lucky to get away with only a yellow.
Here’s a look at the opening goal…
🇮🇪 0-1 🇬🇷: Greece take the lead against the run of play as Ioannidis is gifted far too much time and space on the edge of the Irish penalty area. Some finish though.
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 10, 2024
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63 mins: Ireland make their first change and it’s an attacking one.
Jayson Molumby is replaced by Evan Ferguson.
67 mins: Worrying moment for Ireland as Tzolis gets in behind the defence but shoots over from a difficult angle.
Greece then make a double change — Bouchalakis and Chatzigiovanis are replaced by Pelkas and Zafeiris.
As I type, Bakasetas curls a free kick just over from about 30 yards out.
74 mins: Double change for Ireland.
Jason Knight and Andre Omobamidele are replaced by Kasey McAteer and Matt Doherty.
77 mins: Greece are enjoying a good spell of possession at the moment.
It’s a long time since Ireland created a clear-cut chance.
82 mins: Better from Ireland. They have Greece pinned back.
But as I type, Smallbone overhits a pass that goes out of play for a goal kick.
84 mins: More changes for Ireland
Ogbene and Szmodics are replaced by Robinson and Idah.
The attendance has been announced as 37,204.
85 mins: Robinson nearly makes an immediate impact.
His shot from the edge of the area deflects wide for a corner.
IRELAND 0-2 GREECE (Tzolis 87 mins)
That’s almost certainly game over, unfortunately.
Greece counter. Tzolis gets away from Collins and fires an unstoppable shot into the corner of the net.
Will Smallbone is named player of the match.
Members of the crowd disagree and there is a smattering of boos when this is announced.
To be fair, not many Irish players have excelled.
Here’s that second goal…
🇮🇪 0-2 🇬🇷: That's game over for Ireland and it's far too easy for Greece as Tzolis chases down a simple ball over the top from Bakasetas before firing home.
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 10, 2024
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FULL-TIME: IRELAND 0-2 GREECE
It is possible that ireland may never score a goal again ever. Generations will.grow up only haven seen an irish goal on reeling in the years.
@Declan Young: 2 goals in 9 home games lol not including the friendly v hungary
@Declan Young: Extremely possible ,well for about a decade I’d say ,Man of the match tonight has two gears ,stand still and Jog that’s it ,oh lordy…
@Shawn: 2 goals in 10
I’m stunned at how abysmal we have been on Saturday and again tonight, loads of people said that this sort of stuff was all Stephen Kennys fault.
@Declan Young: im not surprised i said easy win for Greece thats how far we have falling
@Declan Young: It won’t change until the FAI become a competent organisation. The Irish people need to give the oireachtas and the courts more powers when it comes to oversight, sanctions and dealing with white collar crime. It’s not the management or the players’ fault that we don’t have an elite high performance programme. For now, we need to get ready for a rough ride and stick with the manager
@Conor Lynott: Told you we are awfull you said we do better tonight during the england game
@Declan Young: Amazed 37,000 people parted with their hard earned cash to watch this in person. Pep himself couldn’t get a tune out of these players. It’s Gandalf we need in charge and apparently he’s making a comeback.
@Bryan: Truly amazed
@Shawn: Yes, we played better in front of goal in terms of creating chances. Had we created as much tonight, we could have won tonight.
@Shawn: if you own a dictionary, look up the word sarcasm.
@Conor Lynott: lol are u for real lol
@Declan Young: but what u said is true nothing to do with Sarcasum
@Conor Lynott: conor ye know the saying, if me granny had balls she’d be me grandad en all that…
@Conor Lynott: conor ye know the saying, if me granny had bals she’d be me grandad en all that…
@Declan Young: guess it definitely wasn’t all Stephens fault
On his last RTE panel appearance, Liam Brady reckoned it could potentially be over ten years before we have a team that gets near to qualification again. That’s a sobering thought.
@John Caplis: I said the exact same thing a few years ago, I would say maybe 20.
Thank god the rugby is back soon at least they win games
@Gavin Delves: and bottle it
good tactics. pass between the back 4 until they press us then book it long back to them and get every man behind the ball. rinse repeat
Dreadful stuff. I’d rather watch a bad game of Gaelic athletic association football any day. Have Ireland even had a shot at goal yet. I’m switching over to Ros Na Run.
@Ray Ridge: wake me up wake me up when september ends
Smallbone man of the match? We lost! What’s going on?
@Alan Kennedy: He had 2 nice passe’s and get’s man of match thats how bad we are cant wait for the rugby to start
@Shawn: Don’t watch it then and stick to that horrible game
@gav0kelly: Rugby is a great game and i will allways watch ireland even when there useless
Fair play to the die hard fans, I don’t know how they continue to keep the faith. A rare flash of brilliance now and again coupled with long periods of mediocrity. Any real quality team would beat them convincingly.
Respect the anthems lads . The rugger crowd will be incandescent if we don’t.
@Gerard Lynch: They did as expected
@Gerard Lynch: The rugby crowd who just watched on as Martin Johnson openly disrespected our head of state, that rugby crowd.
@orb7eckn: the very same shower .
@orb7eckn: you’re right, they should have stormed the litch and lynched him and his teammates. Jesus some of the nonsensical comments on here beggar belief
@anthony davoren: But for a sport that’s full of respect as you posh boys all harp on about, a captain of a national side show utter contempt for a head of state. That’s my point
@orb7eckn: When rugby has its own version of the Hillsbourgh disaster or the 1995 Landsdowne Road farce, then we can have a conversation. The fact is that there is a history of violence and football being a breeding ground for far right wing politics that is not there in rugby. The evidence is the numerous police investigations that involve football fans at matches vs nome or close to it in rugby. Absolutely no comparison between football and rugby, particularly when it comes to respect for the law.
@Gerard Lynch: Just to clarify, because, I will give you the chance to retract and apologise… before I school you. Are you saying that the Hillsborough disaster was a result of football violence, coupled with the influence of Far-right politics.. ?
@Conor Lynott: I’m a United fan but what you said is a horrendous statement on hillsborough. You’re best retracting that statement. What an absolute sick statement to make, uneducated lemon that you are.
@Conor Lynott: Respect for the law. Frencĥ rugby players on tour in argentina.
@Gerard Lynch: Sorry Gearld, Obviosly meant for Conor.
@Conor Lynott: Get your facts right about Hillsbourgh Conor your completely wrong and it has nottin to do with crowd voilance!
@Conor Lynott: Right Connor, Your comment is not only wholly unacceptable,but actually disgusting. Families campaigned tiresley to have the names of their loved ones cleared from the very scurrilous and vile insinuations you have just made. Respect the law? You’d do well to do likewise.The 97 victims were found, by law, to have been unlawfully killed, due to gross negligence by Police and Ambulance services in their legal duty of care, manslaughter charges followed, along with apologies not only from the Police but the British government with whom they colluded in blaming Liverpool supporters for the disaster.Quite how you’re so ignorant, heartless and clueless to include the innocent victims of a disaster in your anti football rant is beyond me .. You should be ashamed of yourself.
@Joe Beirne @Gerard LynchIn 2016 the jury of the inquest found that the 96 victims had been “unlawfully killed.” The following year criminal charges were filed against six individuals connected to the disaster. Notably, Duckenfield faced 95 charges of manslaughter; because of legal issues, he could not be prosecuted for the victim who died in 1993. https://www.britannica.com/event/Hillsborough-disaster So yes, violence was involved and I make absolutely no apologies.
@Conor Lynott: You are some gobsh!te. 97 innocent pepple died at Hillsborough due to police ineptitude.
@Conor Lynott: Google england v fiji rugby world cup 2023 crowd trouble. Rugby fans are delusional if they think their sport is clean as a whistle.
@Conor Lynott: I m not involved in this conversation. Keep me out of it.
@Conor Lynott: Violence- ‘behaviour involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something’.
Gross negligence Manslaughter- ‘the cause of death due to grossly negligent action or inaction’.
Negligence -’failure to give enough care and attention to someone you are responsible’
Definitions of words.. I suggest you learn them before you spout your ill informed bile.
Cite one, just one verifiable, lawful source that says ‘violence’ was a cause of the Hillsborough disaster..
need to organize another friendly against oman asap.
Ireland 3 Greece 1
@Dan: Really like the optimism. Hope you’re right
Fair Play to those who pay to see this rubbish another manager thick as a rock playing same failed players
We need to stop giving out ‘loser’ man of the match awards.
Im not confident but ya never know come on boys
100 PERCENT RIGHT I SAID EASY WIN FOR GREECE IT WAS EVEN EASYIER THAN I TAUGHT WE ARE AWFUL SHOCKING NO MANAGER CAN SORT THIS OUT SUCH SAD DAYS
@Shawn: How come you didn’t say a word about it during the game?
@Shawn: And Greece were piss poor average..
@Bryan: I said on the earlier post mate
@Gerry Campbell: True just show’s we are shocking 5 defeat v Greece we never beaten them
Calm down everyone about the booing it happen’s im sure it wont be as bad tonight it’s not england rice jack as well
@ED: Booing another country’s anthem, any country’s anthem is wrong.
@Richard Ford: But he right
@Richard Ford: but he was right
Mad how you could hear a pin drop for Greece during the national anthems… almost like they’ve never phooked us over and deserve a welcome,
Long live tribalism and getting one over a country in sports
2 goal’s at home in 9 home game’s dear god that’s just unreal not including friendly v hungary
Fair play to the Greeks they know how to score
In the 70s,80s the best in the world would come to Dublin, and be happy with a draw,we still had the gaa and rugby back then,what in the name of christ has happened,,I’ve no idea.
Awful stuff from Ireland, just awful.
Stick to Rugby
The FAI have made it clear that they are good with settling for mediocrity with their managerial appointment. I hope he does well but he is hardly a name to excite the players. Promising names were thrown around but honestly, this guy was offered the job after being fired by Jamaica after 1 campaign. They now have a proven coach in Steve Mcclarin.
@Paul Whittle: A better manager is not going to achieve much with that dross.
Falling asleep here
You can’t make a silk purse out of a pig’s ear.
Kelleher could have done better but CBs didn’t cover themselves in glory either
Actually think we may pull off a bit of a shock here. Ireland to win
Good call on the changes. Still feel we’d be better set up with a back 4.Midfield was terribly overrun by England and Greece are no slouches. Can’t see us improving our possession stats tbf. Keep it tight and sneak a 1-0 best case scenario.
@Andrew Clavin: ferguson and idah up front and put everything into the box.
Why do we keep trying to play out from the back? We clearly can’t do it and are certainly not good enough. We need to go right back to basics and go long more, keep sticking crosses into the box, force the game and not let the opposition out! Trying to play these teams at their own game just doesn’t work. Even Northern Ireland can do it and their squad is nowhere near as good as ours. Frustrating.
Handy enough win I’d say
@Peter J H: for Greece maybe
@Michael o Dwyer: ya hardly thought I meant Ireland
@Peter J H: playing well enough so far
@Michael o Dwyer: I’m just demoralised now
For the love of jayziz will someone retire Doherty.. He should be embarrassed calling himself a defender
Very disconnected but Greece don’t look too good either . We could actually nick this one
Just heart breaking!
Better than the last 2 times we played them, so far anyway. We have better shape in the middle of the park, not being cut open.
Energy levels might drop in the second half though.
We have a couple of creative players both doing very well at Boro, Finn Azaz and Alex Gilbert. Neither in the squad, never mind the team and we persist with Brady, Doherty and Robinson. Where is the logic in that? Just use the next 4 games to give game time to these players and bring Hodge & Moran along too. Nothing left to lose. We have to take the long term view now and accept this will take 5 years plus to remedy.
At this particular moment t in time ,
My second team but they are some dog shiton my shoes