Republic of Ireland lose to Finland in Nations League to complete week of woe


Richard Jolly
  • English
  • Arabic

It is an understatement to say this week has not gone the way Stephen Kenny would have wanted.

The Republic of Ireland have seen their dreams of reaching Euro 2020 end and now risk relegation in the Nations League.

They are still waiting for their first win in the new competition or under their new manager. A second goal would help, too, but Shane Duffy’s last-minute equaliser against Bulgaria remains the lone strike of Kenny’s reign.

Some 390 minutes of football later and Ireland have conceded two winners to Finland and, in particular, to Fredrik Jensen.

It may have felt all the more damning as this was a goal that stemmed from Kenny’s passing philosophy.

He has promised a more progressive style of play to change a team long known for their direct tactics. But as goalkeeper Darren Randolph tried to pass the ball out, Teemu Pukki anticipated it and while his cross was intercepted by Dara O’Shea, the ball bounced off the defender for Jensen to poke in a shot. The match-winner in Dublin last month repeated the feat.

The margins are small and two minutes earlier Ireland had come agonisingly close when Enda Stevens’ lob hit the bar.

Yet chances were too few: Ireland can clock up passes, but turning possession into incision has been the challenge and if the build-up has been better, the end product has been lacking.

Kenny nevertheless merits sympathy in trying times. Only 11 of his original 25-man squad have been available for all three games and there has been a makeshift feel throughout.

His plans have had to be redrawn time and again and here he was without 11 players who were either suspended, injured or unavailable as a by-product of others’ coronavirus cases.

In a very modern problem, Adam Idah and Aaron Connolly had missed the previous two games for sitting slightly too near a staff member who had tested positive, only for it to be a false positive.

Connolly was Ireland’s brightest spark and suggested he might have made a difference against Slovakia or Wales.

He drew a couple of saves from goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, found Sean Maguire in a promising position, only for the Preston forward’s poor touch to cost him a shot, and made a series of buccaneering runs.

Ireland improved after Kenny brought on Robbie Brady. His set-pieces gave Duffy and Matt Doherty chances to level and his crossing almost brought Ronan Curtis a maiden international goal, with Hradecky making a fine injury-time save, but Ireland had too little creativity before the winger came on.

And Finland could have seized the lead earlier. Pukki eventually prospered as the provider but had missed two inviting opportunities, dragging one shot across goal after Pyry Soiri provided a defence-splitting pass and then placing a second past the near post.

O’Shea made a fine block to deny Ilmari Niskanen as the West Bromwich Albion player acquitted himself well on his debut.

Yet if the new-look Ireland offer some signs they are going in the right direction, they are not yet apparent in the results.

While you're here
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The specs: 2018 Maserati Ghibli

Price, base / as tested: Dh269,000 / Dh369,000

Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 355hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 500Nm @ 4,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 8.9L / 100km

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Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding

Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.

Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.

Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.

For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae

 

Fixtures (all times UAE)

Saturday
Brescia v Atalanta (6pm)
Genoa v Torino (9pm)
Fiorentina v Lecce (11.45pm)

Sunday
Juventus v Sassuolo (3.30pm)
Inter Milan v SPAL (6pm)
Lazio v Udinese (6pm)
Parma v AC Milan (6pm)
Napoli v Bologna (9pm)
Verona v AS Roma (11.45pm)

Monday
Cagliari v Sampdoria (11.45pm)

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Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:

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Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate

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HOW TO WATCH

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Price, base: Dh1,731,672

Engine: 6.5-litre V12

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm

Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm

Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km

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UAE squad

Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)

THE BIO

Mr Al Qassimi is 37 and lives in Dubai
He is a keen drummer and loves gardening
His favourite way to unwind is spending time with his two children and cooking

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Director: Jesse Armstrong

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ACL Elite (West) - fixtures

Monday, Sept 30

Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)

Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)

RESULT

Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1 
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’

Players Selected for La Liga Trials

U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian

Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco

Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French

Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian

U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco

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UAE's final round of matches
  • Sep 1, 2016 Beat Japan 2-1 (away)
  • Sep 6, 2016 Lost to Australia 1-0 (home)
  • Oct 6, 2016 Beat Thailand 3-1 (home)
  • Oct 11, 2016 Lost to Saudi Arabia 3-0 (away)
  • Nov 15, 2016 Beat Iraq 2-0 (home)
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  • Mar 28, 2017 Lost to Australia 2-0 (away)
  • June 13, 2017 Drew 1-1 with Thailand (away)
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Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

The Details

Kabir Singh

Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series

Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa

Rating: 2.5/5 

Profile of Foodics

Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani

Based: Riyadh

Sector: Software

Employees: 150

Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing

Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.

States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press