Republic of Ireland revive their World Cup hopes
Republic of Ireland 1 - 0 Armenia
Republic of Ireland revived their World Cup qualifying hopes with a vital win over 10-man Armenia.
Author | Lee Francis
Stadium | Aviva Stadium
A red card for Armenia captain Tigran Barseghyan, sent off early in the second half for aiming a headbutt at Finn Azaz, proved decisive as the hosts shook off a laboured opening and claimed victory through Evan Ferguson’s second-half header.
A flat first half offered little for the home crowd, with Armenia’s Eduard Spertsyan coming closest to breaking the deadlock when he volleyed narrowly wide. The match turned seven minutes after the restart when Barseghyan was dismissed for thrusting his head into Azaz’s face, leaving Armenia to play the remainder with ten men.
From there, Ireland pressed forward. Armenia goalkeeper Henri Avagyan produced several fine saves, tipping Nathan Collins’ header on to the bar and clawing away Dara O’Shea’s effort. He also denied Ferguson from close range before the striker finally broke through, nodding in Will Smallbone’s cross with 20 minutes remaining.
The win lifts Ireland to third in Group F, one point behind second-placed Hungary with two games to play. Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side might have drawn level on points but for Dominik Szoboszlai’s late equaliser in Hungary’s 2-2 draw with Portugal in Lisbon.
Ferguson to the rescue as Ireland recover from sluggish start
Heimir Hallgrimsson had admitted before kick-off that he would settle for a scrappy win if it meant keeping Ireland’s World Cup qualifying hopes alive. Against Armenia, he got exactly that.
For much of a flat first half, Ireland struggled to trouble the visitors, ranked 103rd in the world. The performance drew boos from the home crowd at the Aviva Stadium as memories of June’s defeat in Yerevan resurfaced. Armenia, though offering less threat than in that earlier meeting, might have gone ahead when Eduard Spertsyan, who has made a habit of scoring against Ireland, failed to turn in Kamo Hovhannisyan’s cross at the far post.
The turning point came when Armenia captain Tigran Barseghyan saw red for thrusting his head into Finn Azaz’s face, giving Ireland a route back into the match. It was not the first time Hallgrimsson’s side have benefited from an opponent’s indiscipline, with a late red card for Hungary’s Roland Sallai last month helping to secure a draw in Dublin.
With the numerical advantage, Ireland finally stirred. Nathan Collins and Dara O’Shea both went close before Evan Ferguson found the breakthrough, heading home Will Smallbone’s cross for his fourth consecutive home goal, the first Irish player to do so since Robbie Keane in 2014.
This evening's attendance at The Aviva Stadium was 42,292.
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Adam Idah might have added a second but was denied by a fine point-blank save from Henri Avagyan. Despite the victory, Hallgrimsson will know his side cannot afford another subdued display in next month’s decisive fixtures against Portugal and Hungary.
Still, this was Ireland’s fifth win under the Icelander, and with Ferguson in prolific form, there remains hope that momentum can carry them into contention for qualification.
