Ireland - Greece 0-2: Prepared for heavy encounter at Agia Sophia

Ireland - Greece 0-2: Prepared for a heavy encounter at Agia Sophia


It was a nice Friday night (13/10) in Dublin for the national team who did their job with honour against Ireland. Meanwhile, help came from team machine France as they defeated the Netherlands 1-2 in Amsterdam. 


The results have appeared for a really important match in the fight for second place on Monday (16/10) when the Oranje visit Athens.


Match report

For the match against Ireland, Pantelis Hatzidiakos was forced to withdraw due to injury. The Cagliari centre-back also misses the meeting with the Netherlands. The injury saw Poyet call up Dimtiris Goutas to the squad. The place next to Mavropanos at center lock against the Irish went to Retsos ahead of Koulierakis. Ireland started the match frantically and, among others, their super promise Evan Ferguson dotted the outside of the post. 


They tried to play a lot on their right wing with Doherty and Ogbene. After approx. 10 minutes, the home team's intensity decreased and the national team could gradually grow into the match and take control of the event.


With 20 minutes played, Tsimikas won a counterattack on his left and hit a very precise cross which Giakoumakis met perfectly with his forehead and bombed home the lead at the Aviva Stadium. A very eye-catching goal. Just seconds before the break, the half would get the perfect finish. Mantalos set up a counterattack with a brilliant long ball where Giakoumakis then slotted the ball which found its way to Pelkas at the far post. He in turn played the ball into the center where Masouras, as many times before, was in the right place at the right time and scored 0-2 behind Bazunu between the Irish posts.


The national team handled the second half well and mostly controlled the events on the pitch. However, the Irish stepped up around the 80th minute and for a couple of minutes they found some decent chances mainly through set pieces. There were no more goals in the match, but a solid 0-2 victory was collected.


Reflections

The match is proof of how the players' confidence has grown in the last 1-2 years through positive efforts and results. There is a belief within the close-knit group and the players dare to play out and believe in what they are doing. Former national team captain John van’t Schip laid a foundation that Poyet built on without any fuss. 


The Uruguayan gets some criticism (some justified) for his squad selections but you really can't complain about the job he's done. He drives on a track he believes in and you can hardly criticize him for that. Trying to keep the squad largely intact is something he values ​​and prioritizes highly. Against the Irish, he deserves all the praise for the starting eleven he selected that perfectly suited the requirements of the match. 


Giakoumakis, for example, started at the top instead of AZ's hotshot Vangelis Pavlidis. Giakoumakis has experience from British football and playing against those types of classic centre-backs. The Atlanta United striker showed off his full register in the first half.


After Friday's result, the national team have given themselves the chance to go all out against the Netherlands at Agia Sophia. 


France has paraded home  in a mighty impressive way with Kylian Mbappé in the lead. Now it's between us and the Netherlands for second place. The national team must give everything for a win on Monday, which will be a very tough challenge. In case of victory, a point in November at home against clear group winners France would be enough to take second place and a ticket to the European Championship next summer without having to try via the Nations League playoff, which exists as a lifeline. 


Worth remembering is that the Netherlands have head-to-head games on us as they won 3-0 in Eindhoven. A result we are highly unlikely to be able to match on Monday, which means they have the upper hand if we were to be on the same score in the table. 


Many different scenarios exist but at least the guys have given themselves an honest chance in a tough qualifying group.


Andreas Mitsis 


Hellas Football 

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