Heimir Hallgrimsson has warned the Republic of Ireland they have to stop presenting gifts to their opponents if they are to qualify for major tournaments once again.
Three days after Nathan Collins’ error had handed Finland a lead in Helsinki, keeper Caoimhin Kelleher blundered in Athens to allow Greece to ease to a 2-0 Nations League B2 victory.
Ireland had rallied at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium after Tasos Bakasetas’ opener, but Hallgrimsson’s men were threatening to snatch a point when misfortune struck.
After a string of fine saves, Caoimhín Kelleher is tonight's Sky Player of the Match 👏
🇬🇷🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/uUdB1rLnyP— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) October 13, 2024
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The head coach said: “It was like a little bit of pressure was off, maybe comparing that to the Finland game as well, so it looked like when we have nothing to lose, we start to play like we should.
“And then again Christmas in October again for us. We’re giving too many gifts to the opponent.”
Kelleher had at times represented a one-man barrier to Greek ambition, saving from Giorgos Masouras, Bakasetas and Dimitris Giannoulis amid a first-half onslaught to keep his side in it.
He was eventually beaten when Bakasetas’ 48th-minute shot took a significant deflection off Liam Scales and evaded him, but he had to hold his hands up for the second goal, which arrived in stoppage time.
With the ball at his feet as he looked to spark a late Ireland attack, Kelleher instead presented it to delighted substitute Petros Mantalos, who promptly rounded him and fired into the empty net.
Hallgrimsson said: “I have a goalkeeper coach who always says the same thing: football is a team sport until a goalkeeper makes a mistake, then it’s no longer a team sport.
“It is what it is. You never know but we were really in the game, we were getting the ball in dangerous positions at this moment.
“But winning or losing was not there, it was because we started too late, I think, to believe in ourselves.”
Ireland welcome Finland to Dublin next month before a date with England at Wembley and Hallgrimsson, who is now four games and three defeats into his reign, is nevertheless confident progress is being made.
He said: “I have no delusions, this is always about results. This is a results business, the national team, so we always like to have points and we always like to win.
“But now I’ve been two weeks with these guys and I think what has happened in these two weeks has been really positive.”
For opposite number Ivan Jovanovic, there was immense pride with how his players handled the emotion surrounding the death of former team-mate George Baldock and also their 2-1 win over England at Wembley.
2-0, ο επίλογος της νίκης με το γκολ του Πέτρου Μάνταλου 🙌 #GREIRL #ForYouGeorge 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/45onn3UDkt
— Ethniki Omada (@EthnikiOmada) October 13, 2024
Jovanovic said: “In order for the win against England to have some sort of value, we had to win today.
“Today was difficult, not so much tactically or anything like that, but mainly emotionally with the emptiness the players mentally and physically were feeling.
“Not only that, but with the result that came, the added pressure of being in front of a full stadium of your own fans with the expectations that they also have.”
