'Not a perfect match' but Hallgrimsson savours sweet relief of first victory

“We can be happy with a lot tonight, particularly the performance," said the manager. "One mistake and we were punished. I thought we played pretty good, especially at the end of the first half. We built off that."

POINTING THE WAY: Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson celebrates after the game. Pic: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Heimir Hallgrimsson admitted his first victory in charge of the Republic of Ireland "was not a perfect match" but he justifiably savoured the joy after Robbie Brady's late winner gave his side a victory they have long waited for.

The 89th minute strike by the 32-year-old secured a first UEFA Nations League B Group 2 at the third time of asking. The 2-1 success at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki also saw the Irish Senior men’s team come behind to win a competitive game for the first time in 2012 against Kazakhstan, 115 games in total.

Yet there were mixed emotions for Hallgrimsson who admitted as much after the final whistle.

“We can be happy with a lot tonight, particularly the performance," said the Icelander. "I thought one mistake and we were punished. I thought we played pretty good, especially at the end of the first half. We kind of built off that in the second half.

“It was not a perfect match. They had at least two good chances in the second half. We could have been punished again. But it’s always good to have a win. We talked about confidence. This game will definitely help the players in that area.” 

Ahead of Sunday’s away encounter with Greece, Hallgrimsson said he hoped the result would help change the narrative around the team, where things have remained decidedly downbeat since he belatedly took over from Stephen Kenny.

“I think everybody felt we were doing better and better in the training sessions; We were more in sync. And I thought it showed on the pitch today," he added. "I didn't think Finland had a lot of goal scoring chances. We gave a few to them. It was not like they played through us. But I think overall, we should be happy with the performance. But we have a difficult game in three days’ time. We had some tired legs on the pitch tonight. We need to start thinking about Greece now.” 

Hallgrimsson was pressed about the character of the team, and captain Nathan Collins, for the way they fell behind and responded to conceding a disastrous opener for the hosts.

“Exactly. We cannot do something about mistakes," he insisted. "That is something that happens in football. You need to be ready to exploit that when the opposition makes mistakes. We cannot criticise anyone for making a mistake. They happen. So, we were pretty happy with what we were doing, particularly the end pf the first half."