Republic of Ireland's manager, Heimir Hallgrimsson, remains optimistic about his team's World Cup prospects following a 1-0 victory over Armenia. Evan Ferguson scored the decisive goal at the Aviva Stadium.
The match turned in Ireland's favour after Armenia's captain, Tigran Barseghyan, was sent off for headbutting Finn Azaz. Despite the win, Ireland missed several opportunities to extend their lead.
Henri Avagyan, Armenia's goalkeeper, played a crucial role in keeping the scoreline close. He made significant saves, including tipping Nathan Collins' header onto the woodwork and denying Dara O'Shea. This victory places Ireland third in Group F, just one point behind second place with two matches remaining. Portugal's 2-2 draw with Hungary also helped Ireland's position.
In their previous match during this international break, Ireland narrowly lost 1-0 to Portugal. Hallgrimsson highlighted the importance of both results for boosting team morale. "We showed to ourselves that we can play against Portugal and keep them at bay," he told RTE. These performances have given the team confidence that they can achieve more than expected.
Ireland struggled initially but increased their pressure in the second half against Armenia. They ended with 17 shots on goal, six on target. With six big chances and an expected goals (xG) tally of 2.34, Hallgrimsson expressed a desire for a better goal difference given their numerical advantage. "We should have killed the game off earlier than we did," he stated.
The Irish team is set to face Portugal next before concluding their Group F campaign with a crucial match against Hungary. Hallgrimsson emphasised that maintaining structure and organisation was key to their recent clean sheet. "It's a few things that we can use in November," he said regarding future matches.
Hallgrimsson remains confident about qualifying for the World Cup despite challenges ahead. "There's no easy game for anyone," he noted, adding that they have found something to build on for improvement. The result against Hungary means they need to beat Hungary away and secure at least a point against Portugal.
The manager acknowledged that while they achieved their goal of winning against Armenia, there is room for improvement. "We wanted a good performance in Portugal and a win here," he said. The team's ability to maintain structure and organisation contributed significantly to their success.
