Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson claims he is well aware that the Boys in Green need to improve their performance after a narrow 1-0 win over Finland in Dublin last night.
The Irish team beat Finland for the second time in this Nations League campaign after another 1-0 victory at the Aviva Stadium. However, it wasn't all plain sailing.
Ireland struggled to keep possession in the first half, allowing the Finns to take control of the game and create the majority of chances. Despite this, Mikey Johnston’s excellent cross found Evan Ferguson in the Finland box, and the striker made no mistake, scoring just before halftime to give Ireland the lead.
Finland were awarded a penalty in the second half, but Caoimhin Kelleher produced a brilliant save to deny them.
The game ended 1-0, with Ireland finishing third in the group. This result means they have avoided relegation to League C and will instead play in a two-legged playoff next March.
Confidence is clearly growing after two consecutive wins, but Hallgrimsson admitted that while he was happy, he remained realistic about the mixed performance.
"Yes, happy with, of course, winning," said Hallgrimsson, speaking at the post-match press conference to RTE Sport
"It's always good, not only for the points, but I think psychologically, it’s good to have a win. It’s good to give the fans a win here at home—it’s a great feeling.
🗣 "A little overambitious, pressing all over the pitch."
🗣 "When we used the wings we created good chances."
🗣 "Good performance, but we were still a bit lucky."
Heimir Hallgrímsson speaking to Ann-Marie Keegan after the 1-0 win over Finland.#IRLFIN #COYBIG #NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/eplvhPhAq3
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) November 14, 2024
"Performance-wise, some good, some bad, and surely we were lucky—they hit the post twice and Caoimhin saved a penalty," he added.
Hallgrimsson also remarked that it was about time the Irish players enjoyed some luck but issued caution about the win, emphasising the need for significant improvement ahead of March.
"But I think this group of players probably deserves some luck. They have been unlucky many times, so probably they deserved a little luck today.
"But of course, I’m happy with a lot of things, though we are under no illusions—we need to play better than we did today."
The Icelander gave special praise to Kelleher for his crucial save. The Cork native had made an error in the Greece game last month but delivered a strong performance against Finland.
"We were lucky to have a good keeper in this game," said Hallgrimsson. "Caoimhin, of course, is playing really well at this stage in his career. He’s not conceding goals at his club, and I hope he’s going to bring that to Ireland as well.
"He really made up for that mistake today. His all-round performance was really good, and I’m so happy—really happy with him. You can see constant progress being made."
Ireland will face England at 5 p.m. this coming Sunday.
