International Friendlies
Ireland 1
Qatar 0
At The Aviva Stadium
THURSDAY evening saw Ireland's men's national team return to action once again in a second friendly game this week after facing Grenada in a 5-0 victory last Saturday as part of Heimir Halgrimmson's extended international camp.
The boys in green returned to home action for the first time since the disappointing friendly draw with North Macedonia following their shootout exit in Prague a few nights prior had resigned Halgrimmson's side to another major tournament watching from the sidelines.
The game was part of a series of fixtures where players whose season had ended prematurely with their clubs had been called up, allowing the Icelandic native to get a better overview at some younger players including recently declared Jack Moylan, who was given his marching orders on the stroke of half-time against Qatar.
Nathan Collins managed to find space in the box to meet Moylan's free-kick before the Brentford defender flicked a terrific header beyond the Abunada in the Qatari goal for an early Ireland lead.
The game was flooded in controversy as fans attempted to delay the game by tossing tennis balls and Palestine flags on the pitch on the tenth minute causing a delay in the game.
The protest comes after the FAI's decision to maintain the scheduled Nations League fixtures to be played against Israel in the Autumn but the response from fans and players has been completely against the plan, with captain Seamus Coleman commenting on the issue during his pre-match press conference.
"My views are very clear on the fact that Nathan and the younger players, and Ireland, the fans, the manager, it should not have landed on our toes to answer questions about this.
"It should have been dealt with above us. I am a dad, I am a husband, I've got a heart, I know the difference between right and wrong.
"I mean if I ask you the same question, I'm sure you're all of the same opinion of what's happening. It's awful, it is extremely sad and it's a very difficult position for the players to be in.
"I don't think we should be in this position. Absolutely not. But of course we've got to answer on it. It is very uncomfortable."
Nathan Collins scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Qatar
The Irish Sport for Palestine movement were behind the protest on Thursday night. The throwing of tennis balls onto the pitch was accompanied by chants of "stop the game" and "free Palestine".
Heimir Halgrimmson reflected on the protest in his post-match interview, respecting the Irish fans' right to protest.
"But everybody has the right to protest, and just thinking about the football side, it's not fun for us watching a game that needs to be stopped again and again. But yeah, we respect the protest," he told RTÉ Sport in the post-match press conference.
Halgrimmson confirmed he was against the boycott of the Israel games, on the basis that UEFA would sanction his side by awarding Israel 3-0 victories.
Back to the game, which was a rather dull affair
Despite the interruptions in the first half, Ireland dominated the game, but their standout star, Jack Moylan, saw his home debut end in tears when he was shown a straight red card just before half-time.
Moylan was dismissed by referee Jamie Robinson for a studs-up challenge on Qatar's Jassem Gaber. The Lincoln City forward was visibly upset as he left the field as an eye-catching display was unceremoniously cut short.
In addition to setting up Collins' goal, Moylan – who scored a debut hat-trick against Grenada last week – had been a menace for the Qatari defence with passionate runs offering Ireland an outlet in the forward line.
A second-goal eluded Ireland, and World Cup bound Qatar – coached by former Spain boss Julien Lopertegui – who were unable to really threaten or fashion a chance to find the equaliser.
Almoez Ali was red carded for an off-the-ball clash with Jayson Molumby 12 minutes from time, with both sides reduced to 10-men for the remaining minutes.
The friendlies marked a strong chance for Ireland to give some unearthed international talent a chance with Hallgrimsson handing debuts to Lecce's Corrie Ndaba, Benfica's Jaden Umeh and Tottenham forward Mason Melia.
Ireland will face World Cup hosts Canada in another friendly next Saturday as the Maple Leafs make their final steps towards preparation as the World Cup kick's off on Thursday June 11th with Mexico hosting South Africa.
