The Republic of Ireland experienced a momentous victory in the Nations League B Group 2, with an outcome of 2-1 against Finland. The match saw Robbie Brady, the only player left from Ireland’s major tournament experience in Euro 2016, strike a late-game winner, following an enchanting play by Festy Ebosele that left the Finnish line of defence in a spin. Brady’s performance led to the cessation of Ireland’s three-match losing run, in what can only be described as a thrilling turnaround.
As the game was drawing towards a not so commendable draw, Chiedozie Ogbene cautiously exited the field, replaced by Ebosele, the Watford right-back who was standing in for Matt Doherty. Ebosele, who’s just 22 years old, swiftly made his presence felt, weaving through a pair of Finnish players, then passed to Brady who was waiting to secure Ireland’s first significant win since their triumph over Scotland in June 2022.
England recently suffered a disappointing upset against Greece, and Heimir Hallgrímsson, Ireland’s new boss, has acknowledged a surge in morale following this first victory under his leadership. Brady’s performance gave Irish supporters in Helsinki a memorable night, harking back to past successes.
Brady then made his way towards the 1,100 Irish supporters who had travelled to Helsinki, repeating a victory run of compatriot Eamonn Coghlan at the 1983 World Championships. The importance of this victory for the young Irish squad, guided by the experienced Brady, cannot be downplayed.
Under Hallgrímsson’s short tenure, the team has shown signs of progress. This victory, a sharp contrast to previous Nations League losses against England and Greece in Dublin, has positively boosted team morale. While previous losses were disappointing, they were not unexpected. A similar challenge awaits them in Athens on Sunday.
Yet, unlike their earlier matches, the Irish spirit remained unbroken against Finland. Liam Scales provided a much-needed equaliser a mere 10 minutes post-half-time, assisted by Brady’s reliable left foot. It’s worth noting that just a year prior, it seemed like the injury-plagued 32-year-old’s international career might have ended.
The victory was far from flawless. Nathan Collins made an individual mistake that lead to an early score for Joel Pohjanpalo, a blow that seemingly whipped away the last vestiges of morale, as much as an autumn wind sweeping through the venerable Olympic Stadium.
This lapse in judgement on Collins’ part gave Finland the first goal in this series. Within 17 minutes of unimaginative, standardised football, Collins, the youthful Irish captain, had the home team on the scoreboard.
Despite his confidence seen playing with Bretford shirt, Collins was surprisingly awkward with his first touch, neither controlling the ball nor returning it to Caoimhín Kelleher. Seizing the moment, Pohjanpalo netted his 16th international goal.
The 16,105-strong Irish presence fell quiet amidst this development. The usual rhythm continued until Scales inspired a resurgence, engaging the fans in jubilant singing well into the evening hours.
The inaugural competitive goal for Ireland in 2024 resulted from Ogbene being fouled by Topi Keskine, paving the way for Brady to send a perfectly weighted cross for Scales, who out-jumped everyone else to score against Lukas Hradecky of Bayer Leverkusen.
However, Ireland’s brief flourishing period was prematurely ended. Glen Kamara narrowly missed adding a second goal for Finland, firing a curling shot towards top corner as Pohjanpalo was freely maintaining possession with his back facing Kelleher’s goal.
Initially in control, Ireland shifted to a back three formation with Brady and Ogbene, while Sammie Szmodics and Jason Knight scrambled for room in the midfield. Off the ball, Brady shifted to play left-back with Dara O’Shea taking the right side as Finn Azaz plotted with Evan Ferguson to trouble the Finnish defence.
In the centre of this arrangement was Josh Cullen, diligently tending to what often seemed like a burgled house, making the Heimir-Ball strategy understandable.
Ferguson, appearing exhausted by the halfway point, narrowly missed a first-touch pass from Azaz. But it was Finland that created two rapid-fire scoring attempts; Robin Lod’s effort was thwarted by Collins, and Leo Walta’s low shot was comfortably collected by Caoimhín Kelleher.
Neither Ferguson nor Azaz lasted beyond the 70-minute mark, failing to leave significant marks in vital attacking positions. Regardless, relying on a combination of experience and youth, Brady and Ebosele came through when it truly counted.
In the 17th minute of the game, an error by Collins in handling a pass from Scales gave the Finnish player Pohjanpalo a clear shot at goal. The striker from Venezia skillfully maneuvered the ball past Kelleher. Nevertheless, the Irish team nearly retaliated when a free-kick from Brady was effectively headbutted by Collins. After the ball missed the end line, Ferguson managed to make a decisive finish.
Brady’s outstanding performance caught the eye as he consistently strived to facilitate scores for his teammates. When Hoskonen and Schuller of the Finnish team knocked over Azaz, the Dubliner player confidently stepped up. However, he failed to bypass the Finns’ defensive wall.
Despite their tireless efforts, the Irish team’s performance lacked cohesion until the final stages of the match. Their persistence, coupled with the Finns’ weak game, provided them with a silver lining. Additionally, luck was on their side, as the game was nearing the end, and Kallman and Pukki were brought in to restore the lead.
Kallman’s attempted header hit Kelleher’s post from a challenging angle. Then, against all odds, the Irish team achieved what seemed a distant dream, a win away from home.
The Finnish squad included Hradecky from Bayer Leverkusen; Ståhl of Djurgardens, Ivanov from Eintracht Braunschweig, Hoskonen of Cracovia, and Galvez from LASK; followed by Walta from IK Sirius, Schüller of Djurgardens, Kamara from Stade Rennais; Lod of Minnesota United, Pohjanpalo from Venezia, and Keskinen of Aberdeen.
Subsequently, Keskinen was replaced by Antman from Go Ahead Eagles and Schuller by Peltola from DC United at the 65 minute mark, and Pukki from Cincinnati and Kallman of Cracovia switched in for Walta and Pohjanpalo respectively at the 78th minute.
The Irish team fielded Kelleher from Liverpool, O’Shea from Ipswich Town, Collins from Brentford, Scales from Celtic, and Brady from Preston North End. Burnley’s Cullen was also present alongside Ogbene, Knight, and Szmodics all from Ipswich Town, with Azaz of Middlesbrough and Ferguson from Brighton and Hove Albion. Later substitutes were McGrath, representing Aberdeen, coming on for Azaz and Parrott from AZ Alkmaar replacing Ferguson – both coming onto the ground at the 71st minute. On the 81st minute, Idah from Celtic substituted for Szmodics, and Ebosele from Watford replaced Ogbene.