ECQ: Straightforward night for France
France 2 - 0 Republic of Ireland
The Republic of Ireland's slim hopes of qualifying for Euro 2024 were dented as France ran out comfortable winners at Parc des Princes.
Aurelien Tchouameni's stunning 19th-minute goal put the hosts ahead at the break. Substitute Marcus Thuram ensured a home victory early in the second half as the French made it five wins from five.
For the Republic, it is the third defeat in four games, leaving them fourth in the group.
The chances of the Irish qualifying for next summer's finals in Germany are remote, but they must regroup quickly and look to revive their campaign against the Netherlands on Sunday.
When France visited Dublin in March, Didier Deschamps' side escaped with a 1-0 win. They were put under intense pressure by a spirited Republic team, with French goalkeeper Mike Maignan in inspired form.
But it was a different story in Paris with Thuram's goal taking the sting out of the game and paving the way for a largely comfortable second half for Les Bleus.
In their quest to qualify for a tournament for the first time under Kenny, the Republic now face an almighty challenge after their latest defeat.
Already facing a daunting task away from the beaten World Cup finalists, the Republic's preparations were hit on Tuesday by the injury-enforced withdrawal of in-form Brighton striker Evan Ferguson.
The 18-year-old, fresh off scoring a hat-trick against Newcastle, was set to spearhead the Irish attack against France. However, with the Brighton forward injured alongside Michael Obafemi, Troy Parrott, Callum Robinson, and Mikey Johnston, the Republic's attack struggled in Paris.
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As for France, Kylian Mbappe fired a blank. The Paris St-Germain star fired a volley over the bar from an Antoine Griezmann corner before seeing a goal ruled out for offside.
The best fan reaction
Frank, an Ireland fan who watched the match in Paris, said: "I'm glad we kept them to two goals. Would love to have a better squad to choose from, but what do you expect when you look at championship and below players? There will probably be a lot of people online looking for Kenny to be fired, but who would make this squad any better?"
Jordan was also unhappy with many elements of the result and performance: "In recent years, it's like the national team has become immersed in an enduring process of rebuilding. We never seem to make any real progress. There needs to be some change at all levels of football in this country."
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Jamy, a France fan, was delighted with the win: "This was a very comfortable night for us. We are very close to qualifying and what could be a very happy summer for us."
Leonie, another France fan, said: "Onwards now for the blues. This should be a straightforward path to Germany."
