Kosovo scored a late winner to beat the Republic of Ireland 1-0 in their opening UEFA Nations League Group B3 match in Pristina on Thursday. Vedat Muriqi headed home seven minutes from time after Ermal Krasniqi’s initial shot bounced off the crossbar. The goal stood despite Irish protests that Muriqi had pushed Dara O’Shea in the build-up, as confirmed by a VAR review.
The Republic of Ireland managed only one shot on target in a match they struggled to influence. Chiedozie Ogbene’s best chance came in the 22nd minute when he fired over after a pass from James Abankwah. Troy Parrott, who scored crucial goals to take Ireland to the World Cup play-offs earlier this year, was largely peripheral, with his back-post header early in the second half saved comfortably.
Ireland’s manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said after the game, “They deserved the win if I’m absolutely honest. There was nothing we didn’t know about how they’d play but it was an off day for a lot of our players.” Hallgrimsson opted for a back five, including a competitive debut for Udinese defender James Abankwah, as a sign of respect to Kosovo’s style, but even that defensive setup struggled against an energetic home side.
Kosovo, who narrowly missed out on qualifying for the World Cup, pressed Ireland throughout. Baton Zabergja was a constant threat down the left, while Muriqi caused problems from the start. Irish goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher made a flying save to deny Muriqi, and Jayson Molumby cleared a goal-bound effort off the line. Still, Muriqi’s persistence paid off late in the match.
The game was the first senior international between Kosovo and the Republic of Ireland. Kosovo had to cope with the absence of their captain Amir Rrahmani, who retired abruptly following a dispute with the Football Federation of Kosovo. Ireland’s preparations were overshadowed by controversy surrounding their upcoming fixtures against Israel, which Hallgrimsson said had made his players uncomfortable.
After Thursday’s defeat, Ireland’s focus turns to their Nations League encounter with Israel on Sunday in Debrecen, Hungary. The build-up to those matches has been dominated by calls for the Irish team to boycott the games. Hallgrimsson acknowledged the issue but said it was hard to measure its impact on the team’s performance in Pristina.
The Republic of Ireland will hold a squad meeting on Friday to discuss their approach to the upcoming Israel matches. Hallgrimsson’s side now face a challenging week as they try to recover from a largely toothless display against Kosovo and prepare for a contentious fixture that has divided opinion off the pitch.
According to Yahoo Sports.
