Republic of Ireland bypass handshakes and wear black armbands in comfortable Nations League victory over Israel
Political tensions overshadow build-up
The Republic of Ireland staged several protests ahead of their 3-0 win against Israel on Sunday, according to reports from ESPN and The Guardian. The players wore black armbands, refused to participate in the traditional pre-match handshakes, and bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem. The build-up to the fixture in Hungary was heavily disrupted by internal squad debates over the ongoing situation in Gaza. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu made himself unavailable for the match entirely on Saturday, citing his "personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong."
Hallgrimsson navigates difficult week
The decision to play the game was only reached after a four-hour squad meeting. FAI chief David Courell confirmed that a "significant majority" voted in favour of fulfilling the fixture. Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson admitted the circumstances were incredibly difficult to manage, stating it was "one of the most challenging weeks for me as a coach". Hallgrimsson made five changes to his starting lineup -following a 1-0 defeat to Kosovo on Thursday- which included dropping Finn Azaz, whose mother holds Israeli citizenship, to the bench following the emotional squad discussions.
First-half blitz secures win
Despite the surrounding noise, Ireland settled the contest with three goals in the space of 11 first-half minutes. Parrott broke the deadlock in the 14th minute before Idah doubled the advantage just two minutes later. Moylan then scored his fourth goal in as many caps to make it 3-0 in the 25th minute. Moylan celebrated by removing his black armband and waving it towards the Israeli support before kissing it. Israel improved slightly in the second half, but Ireland comfortably maintained their clean sheet.
What's next?
The Republic of Ireland will look to build on this victory when they face group leaders Austria next Thursday. Hallgrimsson's side currently sit level on three points with Kosovo, while unbeaten Austria top the group with maximum points and Israel remain bottom with zero. The manager must now focus on reuniting his squad ahead of this crucial test.
