Defeat has been the order of the day for the Maltese national eleven, with the Republic of Ireland coming out on top by two goals to one in a friendly game held in Malta last night. The game was a warm-up for the Euro 2024 qualifier between the two teams, which is scheduled for May.
Maltese national eleven defeat against Republic of Ireland
Despite the lack of a win, Ireland’s performance was quite good against Malta. They played well in an intimidating environment. However, they were unable to break down a solid Maltese defence koora live.
In the first half, Ireland had the better of the play and went close to opening the scoring. Jamie McGrath had a good chance to score, but his shot went wide of Bonello’s far post. Despite his effort, Malta did well to hold on to the ball.
In the second half, Ireland were less clinical and went close to netting a second goal. Alan Browne had a good opportunity when Matt Doherty’s pass went into the Maltese area. However, he failed to latch onto Coleman’s ball over the top. The Irish forward had his first-time effort strike the post.
Ireland were weakened for the Iceland trip, with no replacements for the injured Tony Dunne and Shane Duffy. Despite being without a recognised winger, Kenny played with two central defenders, Charlie Hurley and Brady. However, Kenny’s preferred back-three system places an emphasis on wing-backs to exploit space.
1989 World Cup qualifier for Republic of Ireland
Despite a slow start to 1990 World Cup qualifier, Ireland were in with a chance to qualify for the World Cup for the first time. Stephen Kenny’s team fought back from a 2-2 draw with Hungary to secure third place. The Irish were in a play-off position after narrow wins over Slovakia and Finland.
In the first half, Spain managed to take advantage of Ireland’s defensive frailties. However, after the break, Ireland regrouped, and they pushed Spain back with their best football of the match.
The Irish used a number of long balls to good effect. They created some good chances with a couple of crosses from the left side, including one from Sheedy.
The goal of the game was the aforementioned Sheedy cross from the left. It was a high-quality effort, and Ireland’s midfielders got the job done.
The best player of the game was probably Paul McGrath, who showed off some excellent positioning, shielding and attacking. His positioning and anticipation was key to the Irish’s success, and his play in midfield was one of the best of the qualification phase.
Euro 2024 qualifier for Republic of Ireland
Darren Robinson scored his first international goal in a year to help Ireland defeat Malta in a friendly in Ta’ Qali. However, the game left a number of questions unanswered. Despite a decent performance, Ireland were left frustrated after a frustrating first half. Fortunately, they emerged from the second half with a 1-0 victory and moved level with Malta on goal difference.
Ireland started off well and could have gone ahead in the fifth minute. But Robinson threw his arms in the air as he realised Ogbene had not anticipated his delivery.
Malta were disjointed and lacked star quality. However, they did take the initiative and created an opportunity when Steve Pisani stepped up and got a decent shot on target.
Ireland also had a decent chance in the second half, although O’Dowda failed to make the most of a good opportunity. The Cardiff City player sliced a pass to the left when Henry Bonello lacked pace to keep the ball out.
Player changes for Republic of Ireland vs Malta
Taking on Malta in the final international friendly before next year’s European qualifiers, Ireland will be hoping for a victory. The Boys in Green won their last match against Greece, and have won three of their last five games. But they haven’t won any of their last five games against the Republic of Ireland.
Ireland were dominant in the first half. They had the majority of possession, and enjoyed six shots on goal. But they never really looked like scoring. The only real threat came late on, when Callum O’Dowda hit the post.
In the second half, Callum Robinson almost capitalised on a defensive error from Malta, but the ball hit the post. Robinson then had a lob over Bello, which fell short. Despite the changes, Ireland had the majority of the ball.
In the second half, Ireland didn’t make many changes to their line-up. They played with a 3-5-2 formation. The midfield was made up of McClean, Egan and McClean. They also had Darragh Lennhan in the defence.
Source : كورة لايف
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