How’s everyone doing?
Welcome to our live coverage of Ireland’s Nations League opener against England at the Aviva Stadium.
The Heimir Halgrimsson era begins at five o’clock this evening, and against a visiting English side managed for the first time by former Ireland international Lee Carsley.
Another former Ireland international, Declan Rice, starts in midfield for England, and so too does former Ireland U21 Jack Grealish. I’ll have full team news for you momentarily.
It’s Gavan Casey with you here, and I’ll bring you live updates throughout the game in the event that you can’t make it to Landsdowne Road or to a telly.
The headline news out of Halgrimsson’s first selection is that Celtic striker Adam Idah is chosen to start over Evan Ferguson, who is yet to clock meaningful minutes for Brighton this season after a five-month injury absence.
It’s unclear as to what formation Halgrimsson will deploy: he prefers four at the back, whereas John O’Shea has previously gone with three centre-backs and two wing-backs. Their XI today facilitates either formation, so it will be interesting to see how Ireland line out at kick-off.
STARTING XI | Ireland v England
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) September 7, 2024
Jayson Molumby makes his first international start since November 2023 whilst Chiedozie Ogbene returns to the starting line-up after his injury 👌
Kick-off is at 5pm, not long to wait now! 🇮🇪💚 pic.twitter.com/HfZdrw0AZ3
England certainly look to be playing three centre-backs with Harry Maguire, Marc Guehi and Levi Colwill all selected to start by Carsley. Kobbie Mainoo partners Rice in midfield.
Your #ThreeLions in Dublin! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/uZOhJuEbPv
— England (@England) September 7, 2024
Ireland’s Icelandic boss already holds a victory over England from Euro 2016, when his home country knocked them out in the last 16.
Your match predictions…
Poll Results:
Sounds like Ireland will indeed start with three centre-backs (Coleman, Collins and O’Shea) and two wing-backs (Doherty and Brady).
It’s a similar system to that which John O’Shea used during his stint as interim manager, but a bit of a departure for Halgrimsson who has typically preferred a four-man defence throughout his own managerial career.
The atmosphere is absolutely fizzing at the Aviva, where the sides are about to make their way out of the tunnel.
Seven minutes to kick-off: strap in!
President Michael D. Higgins just doing the rounds, now.
Very warm double-handed handshake from Rice, who has met him before, of course…
God Save The King is booed to quite a significant extent by portions of the ground.
England’s 3,000 away fans also boo Amhrán na bhFiann, but are naturally drowned out.
This is a very different atmosphere to the 2015 friendly at the Aviva, which finished 0-0.
1′ – IRE 0-0 ENG: The game finally kicks off, over four minutes late. England will attack into their 3,000 away fans in the first half.
Kobbie Mainoo gets us underway.
2′ – IRE 0-0 ENG: Ireland win a corner as Caoimhín Kelleher goes long from a free-kick and Matt Doherty heads onto Ogbene. The winger’s cross is cleared out behind the English byline.
Jayson Molumby gets stuck into Jack Grealish, and the crowd go nuts.
Robbie Brady’s corner is a brilliant one and Molumby gets under his header after a slight nick on the ball as it came to him. Over the bar — that was a good chance!
6′ – IRE 0-0 ENG: Positive start by Ireland, who are, eh, putting England under pressure the old-fashioned way.
7′ – IRE 0-0 ENG: Chance for England! Great ball in by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Kane’s powerful header goes narrowly over Kelleher’s bar.
Poor marking by Ireland. Kane should have done better.
10′ – IRE 0-0 ENG: England have enjoyed a spell of control since Kane’s chance. Grealish running the show, through the boos.
Ireland, though, carve a nice chance: Ogbene flicks inside to Molumby, he finds Szmodics and Szmodics’ shot from just outside the area is parried away by Pickford.
11′ - GOOOOAAAALLL! AND, UGH, IT’S DECLAN RICE!
Awful defending by Ireland and Anthony Gordon saunters through on a one-on-one. Kelleher makes a great stop, but England recycle.
Gordon squares to Kane, whose strike is blocked, but it rebounds to Rice who hammers the ball with his instep into the top-right corner! Incredible finish from about 15 yards out.
Rice does the muted celebration as though he’s just scored against his former club. The England fans are loving it. It’s a sore one for Ireland.
17′ – IRE 0-1 ENG: Kane had another brilliant chance for England shortly after the goal as the visitors countered from a blocked Robbie Brady free-kick at the edge of their own area.
Another brilliant stop by Kelleher to keep Ireland in this.
Ominous signs. For all of Ireland’s bite, the gulf in actual footballing quality is starting to become evident already.
26′ - I actually don’t believe this. Jack Grealish doubles England’s lead!
It’s Rice who tees up the former Ireland U21 international, playing a one-two with Bukayo Saka before pulling it back to Grealish.
Lovely English move. Grealish sweeps the ball into the bottom left-hand corner with Kelleher rooted to the spot.
Grealish, unlike Rice, properly celebrates it.
England have had 81% possession and Ireland’s ‘back-to-basics’ approach has been roughly as effective as their more possession-based approach under Stephen Kenny — which is to say not very.
It’s, eh…
…It’s not good, folks.
45′ – IRE 0-2 ENG: Kane has had a couple more sniffs at goal. Ireland just can’t hold onto the ball. Atmosphere is dead now — Rice isn’t even being booed anymore.
Fair play to England, they’ve been excellent. Ireland reduced to cheap fouls now as we approach half-time.
Ireland trail at the break to goals by Declan Rice and Jack Grealish.
46′ – IRE 0-2 ENG: We’re unfortunately back underway at the Aviva.
Far be it for me to tell you what to do with the rest of your afternoon, but I’d propose that you move on with your life and leave this game in your rearview.
I’ll ping you on a notification for any goal, and you also have the option to turn off that facility at the top of the liveblog if you’d prefer to break from the game entirely.
49′ – IRE 0-2 ENG: A lot of Irish fans haven’t returned to their seats for the second half. Presumably, a fair few of them are enjoying a pint around the concourses, but the empty seats are indicative of how intolerable that first half became.
56′ – IRE 0-2 ENG: Harry Maguire accidentally trod on Séamus Coleman’s Achilles, taking his boot clean off. Coleman went down in a lot of pain.
The Irish captain, who has been playing in Ireland’s back three, is going to be replaced by Jake O’Brien. A third cap for Coleman’s Everton teammate.
Jason Knight replaces Matt Doherty, too.
58′ – IRE 0-2 ENG: The only hope for Ireland is that England are lulled into such a sense of security that they lose all intensity, and Ireland somehow fashion a goal from that point.
Just as I type that, Szmodics goes close from the edge of the area after a decent move.
The game is being played at friendly pace now.
I should add that most of the seats have filled back up, too.
61′ – IRE 0-2 ENG: Ogbene, one of few bright-ish sparks for Ireland, creates an opening. Szmodics feeds Molumby in acres of space at the edge of the box but Molumby’s effort is horrific and flies over the bar.
75′ – IRE 0-2 ENG: Kasey McAteer on for his Irish debut, Adam Idah gone off.
The game has kind of descended to nothingness, now. No chances of note. Sterile possession by England who are holding out Ireland at ease whenever they cough up the ball.
82′ – IRE 0-2 ENG: Evan Ferguson on for his first bit of football since 31 March, replacing Robbie Brady.
Some minutes in the legs ahead of Greece on Tuesday, at least.
94′ – IRE 0-2 ENG: Two more really good stops by Kelleher to keep it at 2-0 in stoppage time, of which there are five minutes.
Men against boys at the Aviva. A tough evening. Ireland are where they are and it’s a going to be a long way back.
Thanks for joining me for live updates. Catch you soon.
