Second half Greece goals break Ireland resolve
Anastasios Bakasetas of Greece celebrates after scoring his side's first goal against Ireland. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Ireland were left to rue a controversial early penalty decision as their dismal run against Greece continued in Piraeus.
Evan Ferguson was clearly fouled by Lazarus Rota as he looked poised to punish an fourth-minute Greek blunder but there was no VAR intervention.
Their conquerors then went on to score second half goals through Tasos Bakasetas and Petros Mantalos to remain top of the Uefa Nations League table.
It was an emotional night for the victors, their second triumph in four days again secondary to the tributes paid to player George Baldock following his tragic death last Wednesday.
After ending their losing sequence in Finland on Thursday, a default setting resumed, as Ireland’s habit of both conceding straight after the break from distance continued.
Consistency of selection is a desire spoken of and sought by Heimir Hallgrimsson since his arrival.
Admitting in his pre-match conference his assessment mode prolongs after only two windows, his reference to Troy Parrott being a player suited to some opponents rather than others was prescient.
Finn Azaz’s first competitive start on Thursday was undoubtedly deemed a success but in Parrott the Icelander saw qualities he felt could stretch a home defence led by West Ham United’s man mountain Dinos Mavropanos.
That was the solitary change, facilitating a second start in four days for Ferguson after just one for Brighton this term.
Hallgrimsson’s switch to a back-four after his first game seems to be a permanent policy at this stage but it was the goalkeeper behind who was busiest in the first half.
The start of the dreaded run against the Greeks began in June 2023 when Ireland never recovered from an early shellacking.
This wasn’t quite on that level, where seven successive had Ireland and Gavin Bazunu pulverised, but once an early opportunity was squandered by Ferguson, Ireland spent the half under siege.
By the 20th minute, the home side had clocked 10 attempts on goal. Their passing stats in that opening 46 minutes trebled what Ireland achieved. Wave after wave of attack flowed towards the Irish penalty box, particularly from the left.
Moreover, Caoimhín Kelleher was at his brilliant best, repelling those deluge of openings with both his hands and feet. The only blemish was his gift presented at the end.
Of all the constant influences in Greece’s three previous wins over Ireland in the past 16 months, Kostas Tsimikas was supreme.
Illness ruled the Liverpool full-back out of Thursday’s 2-1 at Wembley and he only partially recovered to participate as a late substitute.
Such is the resurgence of the Greeks that only France, Germany and Netherlands had beaten them across 2023 and 2024, a sequence of 18 matches encompassing 23 months.
That losing feeling Ireland were gripped by until last Thursday is a distant memory to the side now managed by Serbian-born Ivan Jovanovic.
Tsimikas has been at the forefront of that reboot but it couldn’t have developed without depth.
Dimitris Giannoulis was a like-for-like replacement and the man who was teammate of Adam Idah for three years at Norwich City was equally effective.
Pushing their full-backs up high is a Greek characteristic Ireland have become accustomed to counteracting and Dara O’Shea, notionally a central defender, wasn’t receiving the assistance he required from Chiedozie Ogbene in the first-half.
In an eventful first-half for Giannoulis, ending in the first yellow card for grappling Ogbene to the ground, he was the outlet Greece looked to profit from overloads.
His clearest chance was produced approaching the half hour when he dashed from wide to be the final element of a flowing cross-field move and his low drive was turned away by Kelleher’s legs.
Giorgios Masouras found joy on the right flank too.
Playing on the home soil of Conference League champions Olympiacos, he was almost revelling in fan acclaim after 10 minutes when the ball spun up in his direction.
Kelleher was equal to it, sticking out his hand to send the near-post shot out for a corner. A few minutes later, the winger ghosted in undetected again, only to be denied by a treble block from Liam Scales, O’Shea and Sammie Szmodics.
Respite for Ireland was brief.
On 36 minutes, Parrott did manage to apply a knock-down to O’Shea’s diagonal punt but Szmodics was fractionally late reading the pass to apply a connection on the edge of the box. Ogbene limped off against Finland and it took until six minutes before the interval to finally beat Giannoulis. His pullback, however, lacked precision and was cleared for a corner.
Ogbene would make way by the hour mark to allow Festy Ebosele display the repertoire he did in Helsinki but in this case it was designed to salvage a point instead of looking for three.
That was so after Bakasetas plunged his latest dagger into Ireland. The scorer of their first goal of the 2-1 win in the last encounter here is renowned as a journeyman at 31 but the brawn with which he dominates midfield is integral to Greece’s artillery.
He signalled his intent from the restart by unleashing a shot from an acute angle but he was deadlier with a sight presented more centrally.
Those pockets he’s inclined to probe opened up as Ireland switched off from a dinked pass into the edge of the penalty area.
Once Bakasetas swapped passes with Christos Tzolis, the visitors were dragged apart defensively and Scales couldn’t react quick enough – the captain’s low shot deflecting off the defender’s outstretched studs to steer the ball away from Kelleher’s reach and into the corner.
Humidity and fatigue contributed to the flatness which ensued, Ireland’s strategy for chasing the deficit revolving around substitutions. Parrott spent that last 15 minutes chasing shadows after Ferguson was withdrawn.
One of second half newcomers, debutant Jack Taylor mustered the best Ireland could offer - his 69th minute header from Josh Cullen’s cross tipped over by Newcastle United custodian Odysseas Vlachodimos.
From a Robbie Brady corner with three minutes left, he eluded his marker to prod a volley goalward, yet it was blocked by the thicket of defenders.
Kelleher’s stellar evening was then blotted in stoppage time when his pass out of defence was intercepted by Petros Mantalos and substitute rounded the stranded stopper and angled the ball home for the second.
O Vlachodimos; L Rota, K Mavropanos, P Hatzidiakos, D Giannoulis; D Kourbelis (P Mantolas 83), M Siopis; G Masouras (D Pelkas 65), T Bakasetas (c) (C Zafeiris 73), C Tzolis (K Tsimikas 83); V Pavlidis (T Douvikas72).
C Kelleher; D O’Shea (K McAteer 84), N Collins (c), L Scales, R Brady: J Cullen, J Knight (J Molumby 73); C Ogbene (F Ebosele 57), T Parrott, S Szmodics (M Johnston 73); E Ferguson (J Taylor 57).
Joey Kooij (NED).
: 30,253.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
