Gavin Cooney

STEPHEN KENNY REJECTED the idea his Ireland side were beaten by the better team at the Aviva Stadium tonight, saying instead Greece were simply more clinical. 

First-half goals by Giorgos Giakoumakis and Giorgos Masouras condemned Ireland to a fifth defeat in six qualifying matches. 

” We were beaten by a team that was definitely more clinical than us tonight”, said Kenny. “Chances created by both teams were pretty even. Obviously we had a lot more shots – we had 18 shots – but overall, they were more ruthless than we were and we got punished for that.

“It’s a disappointing night. It’s a game you want to win, Greece are a better team than people think they are, they keep the ball very well and defended their box well. I do think they had a vulnerability at times we didn’t punish, that’s disappointing from our point of view. It is definitely a game we would have wanted to win, it is a disappointing result to lose at home to Greece.

“We had brilliant play early on, with Chiedozie and Will a good chance to take the lead an Evan hits the post. They are good at retaining possession, Bakasetas is a threat shooting from distance. The goal is a bit of a ricochet, it is an exceptional cross. The fact Giakoumakas was unmarked in the box was disappointing from my point of view.”

Perhaps not unrelated to Kenny’s disappointment with that goal is the fact Nathan Collins was substituted at half-time, with Kenny confirming that Collins’ withdrawal was a tactical decision. 

Kenny sprung a surprise by starting a back four, which contributed to Ireland’s fast start. 

“I wanted to play with four attacking players, between Ogbene, Smallbone, Ferguson, and Knight to try and make sure we got relevant support, with Alan Browne and the full-backs to support”, said Kenny. “I like to play with seven attacking players, and that’s what we aspire to do in the game. 

“We were a little bit surprised by the system”, said Greece manager Gus Poyet on Ireland’s switch to a back four. “I told you yesterday, we trained the normal system Republic of Ireland play.

“When we found it was [a back] four, we needed some details, as there are some differences. But the rest of the game was how we predicted: it was intense in the beginning, we needed to get the ball on the floor and play our game. The key in the game is the second goal – that gave us a little bit of a platform in the second half. We defended very well and in my opinion we deserved to win.” 

Poyet was proud of how his side adapted to Ireland’s surprise set-up, saying it took them “two minutes.” He also praised the Irish fans, hailing the “spectacular atmosphere” they created and then calling on Greek supporters to fill the stadium next Monday, when his side face Netherlands, where a win would put Greece six points clear of the Dutch in second, having played a game more. 

Poyet also revealed he decided to “avoid a conflict” and therefore did not seek out Keith Andrews to shake his hand, to avoid anything external stories being created around the game. Poyet yesterday dismissed Andrews’ claim of an Irish coach providing insider info to Greece as a “cheap accusation.”