In stark contrast to the windy, damp conditions of Helsinki, the Republic of Ireland team, guided by Heimir Hallgrímsson, relished the balmy Greek summer as they ventured across Europe on Friday, with a rare success under their belt.
Their previously disastrous performance record received a much-needed facelift when Robbie Brady’s decisive half-volley emerged victorious against Finland on Thursday. Apart from ending an unsettling three-match goal drought, this victory also buoyed the squad’s spirits, evident from the celebrations at the Olympic Stadium following their 2-1 triumph.
An elated Brady said, “The feeling is incredible. It’s been tough dealing with multiple losses over the past few years, more so for this young team. Regardless, it’s important to remember that our locker room houses extremely talented players, worth millions.”
For most of these emerging Irish professionals, this was a major victory away from Aviva Stadium. The victory over the struggling Finnish team can sit alongside the sole positive result during Stephen Kenny’s tenure – a 3-0 Nations League victory over Scotland in June 2022. Hallgrímsson, however, advocates caution and patience.
“I hope this victory reflects in their training and in their future matches,” he said. “Everyone is feeling positive and it’s a relief to have bagged the win. But we have to refine our game. We are still vulnerable, often appearing indecisive. Confidence-building should be continuous.”
The forthcoming challenge presents several degrees of complexity. Greece overcame Lee Carsley’s England by a 2-1 margin at Wembley, fuelled by the tragic loss of English-born George Baldock. The 31-year-old defender represented Greece in their game against Ireland in June 2023. Tragically, he was found lifeless in his home’s swimming pool in Athens last Wednesday. Vangelis Pavlidis, who netted the winning goal in the 94th minute against England, honoured his former teammate by proudly presenting Baldock’s jersey to the London crowd.
““The Greek team has repeatedly presented a formidable challenge to Ireland,” Hallgrímsson indicated, referencing three competitive match defeats over the past year and four months. “But I had a sense of equality when we squared off with them in Dublin [last month].
“There was simply a disparity in scoring from the opportunities that came our way; they managed, we didn’t,” he said reflecting on the game strategy and expressed his understanding for the challenge of playing home games. He firmly believes that their victory over England will have boosted their morale. He metioned the psychological and emotional turbulence of the match especially after losing George Baldock, extending his heartfelt condolences and well-wishes to the family.
“Negotiating the Greek team will indeed be strenuous. Nonetheless, I am hopeful that we can leverage the positives from our previous games. We have to contend with some weary players so our immediate focus has to be on recuperation and preparation.”
There are doubts about Chiedozie Ogbene’s participation due to discomfort when he was substituted by Festy Ebosele, whose deft manoeuvring of two Finnish defenders set up Brady for the decisive goal in the 88th minute of the game.
When speaking about Festy, Hallgrímsson said with a smile, “His display of unusual and somewhat audacious confidence when faced with two opponents was quite something.”
That level of performance must be replicated.”