Portugal win second Nations League title after shootout success over Spain
Portugal picked up their second Nations League title after beating holders Spain 5-3 in a penalty shootout following a 2-2 draw in Sunday's final.
Cristiano Ronaldo's 138th international goal took the final to a shootout in Munich, before Spain forward Alvaro Morata's miss proved costly and Ruben Neves struck the winning spot kick.
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The Irish Sun
6 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Heimir Hallgrimsson outlines strategy for September's World Cup qualifiers after Luxembourg letdown
HEIMIR Hallgrimsson hopes to experience the joy of six in September — but he would settle for some four play. The optimism surrounding Ireland's chances of qualifying for a first World Cup in 24 years dropped on Tuesday night. A favourable draw in December, the efficiency in which they beat Bulgaria home and away in the Nations League play-off and But a dire display in the It served as a reminder that the chances of his side achieving anything easily are remote. Their qualifying campaign begins in September with a home game against Hungary before a trip to Armenia 72 hours later. Read more on Irish football In beating Azerbaijan in an away friendly on Tuesday, Hungary claimed only their second win in ten games since Euro 2024. But that run of results is more to do with the calibre of the sides they were facing — playing Germany, Netherlands, Bosnia and Turkey twice each — rather than a loss of form. In the same time frame, Armenia won just twice — both against Latvia. They have lost to the Faroe Islands and leaked 16 goals in their last four games. Given the double-headers in October and November each feature a game against Nations League winners Portugal — who complete the four-team group — a strong start is essential. Most read in Football And Hallgrimsson said: 'Four points would be good, six would be better. 'If we get a draw against Hungary and win in Armenia. Probably it would be worse if it was the opposite. Four points would be OK, a good start. Six is what we aim for.' Heimir Hallgrimsson surprised with birthday gift from Ireland fans during warm-ups for Luxembourg friendly It is not the first time Hallgrimsson has set such a target. He did the same for his first two games last September, But the opponents are not comparable and, while Hallgrimsson took a hands-off approach back then, his imprint is all over the side now. Or at least it was until Tuesday when the players did little of what was expected from them. Hallgrimsson said: 'It would have been nice to have a performance. 1 Heimir Hallgrimsson consoling Josh Honohan at full-time 'I don't mind if we would not have won but I would have liked a better performance, more clear progress from what we did against Senegal. 'We wanted the same performance against Senegal. There was a lot of energy in that game. Forward-thinking. Counter-pressing. It was missing here. Whatever it is, we need to analyse. "Did we prepare them correctly for this game? Do we need to change? It's disappointing that we didn't continue with the same momentum. 'We didn't play well but we played away and didn't concede a goal so even though we are not playing our best, if we can get points and maybe wins, that's a good sign.' HONOHAN DEBUT? And grinding out a result explains why, when it came to making substitutions later in the game, he turned to seasoned pro Matt Doherty rather than the uncapped Josh Honohan. Hallgrimsson said: 'We didn't want to lose this game. We wanted to keep a clean sheet. It's important to take some steps and we looked at the bench more for experience than maybe giving some players a chance. 'In this game, it could have gone both ways. We looked more for experience in the subs.' If players such as the Shamrock Rovers man were unhappy not to have been given an opportunity, others did not seize theirs in the manner in which they would have wished. Bar his set-pieces — his corner ultimately led to Kasey McAteer's goal against Senegal and Killian Phillips — who And following that, St Mirren — who he just completed a permanent move to after a successful loan — might not provide him the best platform to nail down a regular place in the squad. Similarly, McAteer was unable to reproduce the level of his performance in Dublin four days later. CONSISTENCY IS KEY Hallgrimsson said: 'It's important to be consistent, for everyone, just in life as well. 'You always want to grow, to use all your moments in life to grow, whether you're a footballer or a person. 'You always like to learn from your mistakes and be a better person after you make mistakes. 'This was one and hopefully we will all grow from it.' Jack Taylor arguably did better than most. He started on Friday and But he is among those who may drop back down the pecking order when Hallgrimsson is picking from a full deck. Aside from those who are sidelined but expected to be back in September, he had, for the most part, decided against picking Championship players whose season had ended at the start of May. And Hallgrimsson said: 'He has been great at times he has come in but so have others that maybe were not here.' FOOTBALL IS ONE-OF-A-KIND The Icelander hopes that, on second viewing, the performance might not be as bad as it seemed at the time. But he admitted his view of where his team was at the final whistle stood in sharp contrast to how it was before kick-off. He added: 'I would have been 100 per cent confident two hours ago but this is football. You can be a much better team and still lose a match. That's why everybody loves this game. 'It's because sometimes even with a good performance you can lose a game. It's the only sport in the world where a third division team can win against a first division team. 'You can look at all other sports, it doesn't happen. We didn't play well but we kept a clean sheet. 'If it had been a group stage, we would have had a point and, OK, let's call that growth. I'm not going to take too much from this because we have had steady growth. 'There are so many factors that could have produced a little bit lower quality performance. When I look at it, I will probably be happier with many things. 'We should do better than we did. We all know that. We're not shy to say it. We need to do better than we did if we are going to qualify.'
Irish Times
18 hours ago
- Irish Times
Tame friendly draws showed us why Ireland aren't expected to reach World Cup
Results throughout the 2020s clearly explain why the Republic of Ireland is ranked 60th in the world by Fifa . Sandwiched between Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the lowly position in the global game comes after non-starter campaigns to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024. An undeniable trend is evident. Ireland have lost their opening two matches in the previous four campaigns, having also crumbled at the start of the Nations League groups in 2022 and 2024. It leaves manager Heimir Hallgrimsson with an enormous task to get at least a draw with Hungary on September 6th in Dublin and a victory over Armenia in Yerevan three days later to have any chance of reaching a play-off to feature at the 2026 World Cup in North America. Portugal, the newly crowned Nations League champions, are expected to top Group F. READ MORE Another false dawn would place Hallgrimsson in the same category as his predecessor Stephen Kenny despite an unbeaten run so far in 2025. Two victories against Bulgaria in a Nations League relegation play-off in March were followed by underwhelming draws with Senegal and Luxembourg on Tuesday night . 'I cannot lie, we are obviously not happy with the performance and how we wanted to end this week,' Hallgrimsson explained. 'We took, maybe not a step backwards, but we didn't take the next step. It would have been nice to have a good performance [against Luxembourg on Tuesday].' Nathan Collins, the captain at Stade de Luxembourg, was also unable to hide his disappointment following the 0-0 draw. 'We were passive,' said Collins, 'but still dug out a clean sheet. We all know that was nowhere near our best. We have so much more to give.' Besides the encouraging creativity of Finn Azaz against Bulgaria and the club form of Troy Parrott in the Netherlands and Collins at Brentford, there is little evidence to suggest that Hungary, led by Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai, can be contained at the Aviva Stadium, never mind in Budapest in November. It was actually just boring, there was nothing happening — Heimir Hallgrimsson There are some positives to cling to. Hallgrimsson clearly has a plan to guide Ireland to their first major tournament since Euro 2016. He has bedded in a structure built around sling-shotting the 33-year-old Robbie Brady up and down the left wing. Eighteen minutes into Tuesday's scoreless affair, Brady's calf tightened. The veteran played 85 minutes of the 1-1 draw with Senegal the previous Friday. Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson with John Joe Patrick Finn after Tuesday's 0-0 draw in Luxembourg. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Ryan Manning filled the gap with enthusiasm. The Southampton fullback was decent against Senegal in the inside left midfield slot that the Ireland manager has earmarked for the currently injured Sammie Szmodics. There are no individual stars in a Hallgrimsson team. Not when he guided Iceland to Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, nor when he brought Jamaica to the 2024 Copa America. The system trumps the individual. Historically, that approach has suited Irish players. 'We were really disappointed with the first half,' the manager continued. 'It was actually just boring, there was nothing happening. We talked at half-time. It was not about tactics. It was not about formations. It was more about attitude. 'Are you willing to do the work that's necessary? The basics that are necessary in a football game? No matter who you play, no matter whether it's a competitive or a friendly game, you need to do the basics. You need to deliver all the work that's necessary. That was just missing, the basics. 'Credit to the players, that changed in the second half, there was more momentum, more power, more energy. Still, we were not happy but we didn't lose at least.' That about sums up the state of the senior men's team. At least they didn't lose to a country ranked 91st in the world. The FAI must be concerned about the dip in interest as several media outlets did not see the value of sending journalists to Luxembourg. The players that were made available in the post-match mixed-zone backed up that editorial decision. Even RTÉ, the broadcast right holders, did not send their commentary team nor was there a studio panel during the live coverage. So, 10 months into Hallgrimsson's 18-month contract, how is it going? 'You're maybe two hours too late to ask this question,' he replied late on Tuesday night. 'I would have answered it really positively two hours ago but now, again, I'm not going to take too much from this because we have had a steady growth. 'Probably tomorrow, when I look at it, I will be happier with many things. If we are going to qualify we need to do better than we did now. Four points would be ok [against Hungary and Armenia], a good start. Six is what we aim for.'
The 42
20 hours ago
- The 42
Minimal change in low-key squad announcement for Ireland's US summer tests
THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS low-key, the squad itself not straying too far from recent iterations after all. It was released through FAI social media channels at noon, while a press release landed in journalists' inboxes. There was no press conference with head coach Carla Ward, as is customary; some quotes instead circulated for use as the 23-player selection for a friendly double-header against the US was unveiled. Katie McCabe's unavailability was flagged last week, the captain rested after a hectic season which culminated in Champions League glory with Arsenal. Ward stated McCabe was 'on the verge of burnout' after the Nations League group finale against Slovenia, and suggested 'a number' of other players would not travel Stateside for the off-season series. More change was probably anticipated than followed, Ward selecting a relatively familiar squad as Ireland build towards their Nations League play-off with Belgium in October. Eight players were listed by the FAI as unavailable, four of them long-term injury absentees in Jamie Finn, Jess Ziu, Lily Agg and Tara O'Hanlon. Heather Payne and Leanne Kiernan had both been ruled out of the last camp, while Aoife Mannion joined the captain as the other name: the Manchester United defender played the first half of the Türkiye game, but didn't feature against Slovenia as her load — and a quad knock — was managed. Aside from the now-retired Louise Quinn, Shelbourne's Aoibheann Clancy was the only other player from the last squad not included following a recent bereavement. 'The WNT players and staff send their condolences to midfielder Aoibheann Clancy following the passing of her mother, Siobhan. She is being given the time to deal with this difficult period and has the full support of the WNT squad,' read the press release. Advertisement Hayley Nolan and Izzy Atkinson (centre) return to the squad. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO Ellen Molloy, Hayley Nolan and Izzy Atkinson were the three headline inclusions. Molloy and Nolan receive their first call-ups under Ward. Molloy has been impressing in the SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division since returning to Wexford, and now gets a fresh opportunity with Ireland. The 21-year-old midfielder was a regular under Vera Pauw, before an ACL injury interrupted her rise. A move to Championship outfit Sheffield United followed, and Molloy won her first senior cap since 2022 in last October's Euro 2025 playoff semi-final against Georgia. Another injury followed, she left Sheffield in January after four months due to personal reasons, and has been thriving amid home comforts. Nolan is back in the fold for the first time since late 2023 under Eileen Gleeson, having last played for Ireland in the pre-World Cup friendlies against the US. It's a full circle moment for the Crystal Palace defender, who has see-sawed between fine form and injury in recent times. 'Hayley has been unlucky to miss out on being included in recent squads, simply because we have a lot of competition for places at centre-back,' said Ward. 'We have kept an eye on her at club level, I've spoken with her managers and also had conversations with her. So we are excited to bring Hayley in and give her a chance.' There notable change is in defence, in the absence of first-choice full-backs McCabe and Mannion. Atkinson gets the nod as another left-sided option alongside Megan Campbell and Chloe Mustaki, while right-back is an area in which Ireland currently lack choice. Mannion appeared to nail down the position through the Nations League, though is naturally a centre-back. Jessie Stapleton deputised against Slovenia and will most likely have to do so again without injured duo Payne and Finn, but Nolan's versatility could also be useful. Expect huge competition at centre-half: there's a spot up for grabs for the first leg against Belgium with Anna Patten suspended, and no shortage of contenders. The rest of the squad runs along the same lines as the last, with no change in the goalkeeping department and Molloy added to a midfield selection spearheaded by Denise O'Sullivan, who will be stand-in captain. 'Ellen is a player who we have been tracking closely,' said Ward. 'She has done well for Wexford over the last two months and has been on the longlist for our squads, so we needed an opportunity to take a closer look at her in our environment and this is it. 'We know how talented Ellen is but it's how she can adapt that to international level is what we need to look at. I watched her when she was with Sheffield United and we've been watching her at Wexford, so we want to see how she gets on during this camp.' There's also continuity in attack, all who featured in the last window returning. New recruit Erin Healy is recalled, and could win her first cap in her country of birth. Atkinson is actually listed as a forward. The 23-year-old Dubliner gets a fresh international opportunity following her departure from Crystal Palace. She was in Ward's first squad where 'tough love' was offered after falling 'out of favour' at Palace, but was left out thereafter. Related Reads Recalls and absentees as Ireland squad named for US friendlies Have expectations been set too high for Ireland after mixed Nations League group? Like Molloy and Nolan, the 2023 World Cup bolter will be looking to get back in the picture. Ireland head coach Carla Ward. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO Further experimentation with new faces, like younger and domestic talent, may have been hoped for in some quarters, but Ward sticks with pretty settled squad as the Belgium play-off looms large. The US provide formidable competition as the world number one, reigning Olympic champions and four-time World Cup winners. Their European-based players will be rested, but Emma Hayes still has an abundance of top stars to choose from. Ward cites her as a mentor and close friend and has unique insight, having worked in the set-up at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as a scout and performance analyst. Now, she leads Ireland into their 16th and 17th meetings with the US in Denver (Thursday 26 June) and Cincinnati (Thursday 29 June). 'We know how good USA are, they've always been world-class but I believe Emma has taken them to another level and that's why this is a great test for us. To be coming up against the very best is a good opportunity for us,' said Ward. 'When these games were first proposed to us we knew that we would be without certain players, but that opens the door for others to step up. 'Of course you always want to win games but, for me, the most important aspect of these two games will be the performance and continuing to implement our processes. 'These two fixtures will be our final preparation, in terms of games, before we take on Belgium in October, so we want to make the most of these opportunities.'
