Disaster for the Republic of Ireland as World Cup Dreams Lie in Tatters

In what was meant to be a new dawn for the Republic of Ireland senior men’s team under manager Heimir Hallgrimsson, it turned out to be very much a case of “same old, same old” in the team’s opening two World Cup qualifiers.

The fans’ hopes of preparing for a potential trip to North America next summer have already been dashed after a nightmare few days for our national team.

Leading into these two crucial fixtures, the manager and players seemed to be building the country up for an exciting ten weeks of qualifiers. Talk of being more resilient, defensively solid, and hard to play against went out the window just two minutes into the opening game against Hungary at the Aviva Stadium. Over the two games, the team has looked as open and fragile as any time in recent memory, with no apparent idea of what to do either with or without the ball.

That is a sad indictment of the management team of Hallgrimsson, John O’Shea, and Paddy McCarthy—but more on them later. First, let’s look at the two games and what went wrong as Ireland’s hopes of reaching next year’s World Cup went up in smoke.

Horror against Hungary

Before the Hungary match began, the build-up centred around this supposed new era. The squad promised to be the hardest-working, most difficult team to play against, with strength in set pieces. Instead, what we saw in that first half was the complete opposite.

After just two minutes, the expectation of being defensively sound was discarded as the side looked completely lost in whatever the management team had instructed them to do. Matt Doherty, asked to play out of position as a left back tucked in as a left centre back, looked like a nervous wreck from the start—just as Nathan Collins and Dara O’Shea beside him did.

All three were culpable at different stages as Hungary, surely expecting a tough game in Dublin, opened the scoring through Varga. Then, after 15 minutes, disaster struck. A needless corner given away after a mix-up between Collins and Doherty resulted in Hungary going 2-0 up and coasting.

Evan Ferguson halved the deficit just after half-time, and then after 52 minutes, the team were handed a lifeline when Rolland Sallai saw red. Hungary retreated, allowing Ireland to push forward—but only through long balls, throws, and set pieces rather than structured attacking play.

The equaliser finally came when some good play by Mikey Johnston and Ryan Manning set up Adam Idah to score, rescuing a 2-2 draw to kick off the campaign.

Armenia Next

The euphoria of the late draw in Dublin was quickly replaced by the realisation of just how poor the team had been against Hungary. They were carved open repeatedly and lacked any real spark in attack.

What followed in Yerevan, however, may just go down as the worst day in the modern history of the Irish international football team.

Ireland had previously lost 1-0 to Armenia under Stephen Kenny in 2022, but this time anything less than a win against the side ranked 105th in the world could not be tolerated.

Ireland started brightly, pressing an error-prone Armenian keeper who looked terrified every time he got the ball on a dreadful surface. But the bright start quickly faded. Armenia, fresh from a 5-0 hammering by Portugal, soon took control. A penalty given away by Nathan Collins handed the home side a deserved lead, and another defensive lapse saw them double it after 51 minutes.

A classy Evan Ferguson finish pulled one back, but that was as good as it got. Armenia should have added more if not for Caoimhin Kelleher’s saves. At the final whistle, the players and management seemed fully aware of the magnitude of their failure, looking both exhausted and confused.

After so much hope, another campaign appears over after just two matches, with serious questions now set to be asked of the manager’s future.

What Now?

Next up is a daunting trip to Lisbon to face Portugal on October 11th, followed by the home tie with Armenia on October 14th. Given the team’s lack of structure and cohesion in the opening two fixtures, pressure on Heimir Hallgrimsson will inevitably grow.

While it would be surprising to see him dismissed before Ireland are mathematically out, the promises of a new era have already rung hollow. The Hallgrimsson era looks in serious jeopardy.

Stay tuned for more weekly sports content.