Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrímsson has rued the mistakes made by his side against Greece on Sunday night. The Boys in Green lost 2-0 to an excellent Greek side in their latest Nations League fixture.
Hallgrímsson's side were dominated in the first half and had to rely on Caoimhín Kelleher to keep a dynamic Greek team at bay. However, Anastasios Bakasetas put the hosts ahead with a fine strike just after halftime.
Ireland rallied in the second half and refused to give up, but Greece’s class shone through as they secured a second goal in the dying moments. Kelleher gifted Petros Mantalos a goal, sealing the 2-0 defeat.
The Ireland manager admitted that the 'sloppy' goal moments after halftime was a turning point for his side.
“Honestly, we were not happy with the first half. Before the game, we knew it was going to be tough with everything going on, the wave that is here, and the hostile atmosphere with a good crowd behind the Greeks,” Hallgrímsson told The42.ie.
“They had just come off a win in England; they are top of the group, and we knew the first minutes would be difficult. But getting through the first half without conceding made us feel, ‘Okay, the chance is there for us.’ But to concede so early was a blow, and it was a sloppy goal. I need to see it again, but from what I saw, it was a sloppy goal.”
FT | Our double-header ends with defeat in Piraeus#GREIRL pic.twitter.com/X7F5GR1CbN
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) October 13, 2024
The Icelander added that he was proud of his team for their resilience after going behind but admitted that Christmas came early for the Nations League leaders, Greece. Also, Ireland's willingness to be positive in the game was admired by Hallgrimsson.
“From that moment, I think we really grew into the game. It was like a bit of pressure was off, maybe similar to the Finland game, so it looked like when we have nothing to lose, we start to play the way we should.
“I was proud of the guys in the second half—how they played, how they pressed, won the ball high up, got it into dangerous positions, and created some chances. We stayed in the game until about the 87th minute or so.
“And then, Christmas came early again for us. We’re giving too many gifts to the opponent. But I like to take the positives from this, and I think we showed what we can actually do—how we can play when we are on the front foot, positive, and believing in what we’re doing. So, I’m happy with that as a positive to take from the game.”
Ireland's next games will be against Finland in Dublin on November 14, and they round off their Nations League campaign with a trip to Wembley three days later on November 17.
