Kasey McAteer scores as Republic of Ireland and Senegal play out draw in Dublin
Kasey McAteer scored his first international goal for the Republic of Ireland as they played out an entertaining 1-1 draw with Senegal in Dublin.
The Irish delivered a performance full of industry in their first-ever encounter with the Senegalese at the Aviva Stadium.
Advertisement
Leicester's McAteer and Ipswich's Jack Taylor made their first starts for Ireland with head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson looking at his options ahead of the beginning of the World Cup qualifying campaign in September.
Republic of Ireland's Robbie Brady (right) and Senegal's Abdallah Sima battle for the ball. Photo: Evan Treacy/PA.
Senegal, ranked 19th by FIFA, some 41 places higher than the Republic, named an experimental side with only two starters remaining from their recent World Cup qualifying win over Togo.
The west African side started brightly, controlling possession in the early stages and keeping the pressure on Ireland with two corners.
However, Ireland grew in stature throughout the first half and opened the scoring through McAteer in the 21st minute when Senegal failed to clear a corner.
Advertisement
Ryan Manning crossed and Nathan Collins headed it on to McAteer. His initial header was wonderfully saved by Yehvann Diouf, but the forward kept his composure to control the rebound and fire it home.
The Irish stayed on the front foot for the rest of the half, showing good energy as they moved the ball quickly between defence and attack, seeming to rattle the Senegalese, who were defending a 20-match unbeaten run.
Antoine Mendy had the visitors' best chance of the half, but he screwed his shot from the edge of the box high and wide.
Irish goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, recently signed by Brentford from Liverpool, had virtually nothing to do before the break.
Advertisement
The second half started in similar positive fashion for Ireland and Southampton's Will Smallbone should have doubled their lead but shot straight at the keeper. Ryan Manning attempted to fire in the rebound but it was brilliantly blocked by Mendy.
With the game opening up, Senegal almost equalised moments later when Kelleher got the faintest of touches onto Krepin Diatta's header which crashed against the crossbar.
After the hour mark, both sides made a series of changes, with Senegal introducing promising 21-year-old Lamine Camara, who has already played in the Champions League for Monaco, and Crystal Palace's FA Cup winner Ismaila Sarr.
Camara almost made an immediate impact when his shot was deflected onto a post before being scrambled away by Kelleher.
Advertisement
Republic of Ireland's Will Smallbone (centre) attempts a shot towards goal during the international friendly. Photo: Evan Treacy/PA.
The threat from Senegal grew as the game wore on. However Ismail Jakob's ambitious effort to score from outside the box sailed high over the bar.
The Irish invited pressure by defending deeper late in the second half. McAteer, who had run tirelessly throughout, was replaced in the 80th minute as was Smallbone as the Republic turned towards fresh legs.
However, Senegal's pressure told when substitute Sarr poked home in the 82nd minute shortly after Kelleher had saved with his feet.
Senegal had a free-kick on the edge of the box deep in injury time as tempers flared between the two teams, but Camara failed to get it over the defending wall.
Advertisement
The match did not have the feel of a friendly as both Ireland and Senegal went for the win, but ultimately both will be satisfied with the draw.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
23 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Confidence is growing within Republic of Ireland squad
Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson believes 'confidence is growing' within his side after a 1-1 draw against Senegal at the Aviva Stadium. Kasey McAteer marked his first start for the Irish by giving them the lead in the first half but Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr struck with nine minutes remaining as it finished honours even. Advertisement Hallgrimsson, though, took heart from how his side carried out his vision to largely stifle a Senegal side who are now 21 matches unbeaten and ranked 19th in the FIFA world rankings. That is 41 places higher than the Republic's current position, having been as high as 28th in October 2019, but Hallgrimsson senses this is a side on the up after making it three games without a defeat. 'There were times where we defended without the ball, we made them look quite average,' Hallgrimsson said. 'But I'm mostly happy that they didn't create a lot of goalscoring chances. 'Let's be honest, we're not one of the best teams in the world and this is how we need to play against teams that will dominate possession. Advertisement 'We need to wait for our chances and take them when they come. In this area, confidence is growing. 'We will need to be patient, these steps are taken small steps at a time but this was really pleasing because if we wouldn't have done this as well as we did, we would have suffered against this team.' Kasey McAteer marked his first international start with a goal (Evan Treacy/PA) The Republic travel to Luxembourg on Tuesday in their final outing before beginning their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup, with Portugal, Hungry and Armenia their opponents. Hallgrimsson was especially pleased with the display of Leicester's McAteer, who scored his first goal for the Irish in the 21st minute when firing in the rebound after his initial header had been kept out. Advertisement 'If you've watched Kasey, he got a run for Leicester at the end of the season so you can see his club progress and he brought that into the national team,' Hallgrimsson said. 'That's always the answer you would like to have when you try out new players. 'It was a really good first start for him. He's a confident player on the ball, he has speed, good dribbling technique and if we can isolate him going one v one, that is his strength. Ismaila Sarr (centre) levelled for Senegal (Evan Treacy/PA) 'He's just a clever footballer with a good football brain; he knows where to pass the ball and not to pass the ball, etc.' Advertisement A Senegal side without star names such as Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly levelled from close range through Sarr, with Hallgrimsson lamenting the absence of VAR as he felt the FA Cup winner was offside. 'VAR probably would have given it offside but we knew VAR was not in-house so we cannot complain,' the Icelander added. 'I think the referees did a good job, there was a really good flow in the game, so I was happy.'
The Guardian
36 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Lambourn storms to Derby triumph with 11th victory for Aidan O'Brien
'Everything in Ballydoyle is about Epsom,' Aidan O'Brien said on Saturday after the Derby, and perhaps a little superfluously, as Lambourn's 13-2 success in the colts' Classic had just sealed a clean sweep of the three Group One events at the meeting. Lambourn was not the first-string in the trainer's three-strong team – Delacroix, the 2-1 favourite with Ryan Moore in the saddle was only ninth – but like every other horse at the yard, he had been prepared like an Epsom horses from his first days at the yard. Like Minnie Hauk, Friday's Oaks winner, he had also been sent to Chester's May meeting, where the undulations and turns are similar to those at Epsom, to complete his preparation for Saturday's race, and having been sent straight into the lead by Wayne Lordan, his jockey, he gained another length or two on his field with a slick, assured passage down the hill and around Tattenham Corner. Lazy Griff, who was one-and-a-half lengths behind Lambourn in the Chester Vase, had also been close to the pace from the off and briefly threatened to make inroads into Lambourn's lead from three out, but Lambourn found more when Lordan asked for a final effort and he was nearly four lengths in front of Lazy Griff (50-1) and Christophe Soumillon at the line. Tennessee Stud, another outsider at 28-1, was third for trainer Joseph O'Brien, the winning jockey aboard Australia, Lambourn's sire, in 2014. Lambourn, in fact, is a third-generation Derby winner for O'Brien, as Australia was sired by Galileo, the first of his record total of 11 Derby winners back in 2001. 'He's a lazy horse, and Chester is always great place for putting an edge on a horse,' O'Brien said. 'It makes them quick and wakes them up, there's a great atmosphere there and there on the turn. So we always think Chester really sharpens them up, it gives them quick feet and we always send good horses there. 'Lambourn was second to Delacroix [in the Ballysax Stakes] first time out, and we took him to Chester and Ryan loved him at Chester, but he couldn't ride them all. I'd say he's probably an Irish Derby horse [for his next race], but he will get further as well. 'Ryan said he got taken out of his ground over halfway [on Delacroix] so his chance was over. Colin [Keane] said The Lion In Winter wasn't going forward, so it was maybe the track or the ground.' For Lordan, who picked up the ride on Lambourn when Moore opted for Delacroix, this was a first Derby victory and as close to an armchair ride as it gets around Epsom. 'He's a lovely, genuine horse,' Lordan said. 'When I jumped I just wanted to get him into a stride because he's a horse that stays well, and races lazily also. 'He was enjoying it in front and his ears were pricked and I was able to go forward good and early. I did feel [going into the race] that he was a bit under-rated, because he's not a flashy horse, he just goes on the bridle and does his own thing. The other horses are good travellers and quicken, mine is just genuine and goes with the flow, but when you look for him, there's loads in there.' Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Lambourn is already priced up at a shade of odds-on for the Irish Derby later this month, while Charlie Johnston, the trainer of Lazy Griff, may pick between the Irish Derby or the Grand Prix de Paris for the runner-up before a run in the St Leger at Doncaster in September. A big squad of owners from the big Middleham Park Racing syndicate that owns Lazy Griff will be guaranteed wherever he runs. Perth 1.40 Emily Love 2.12 Away She Goes 2.47 Heart Above 3.22 Schmilsson 3.57 Stans The Man 4.32 Can't Beat History 5.07 Donso Star 5.42 True Destiny Goodwood 1.50 Fine Interview 2.25 Stellar Sunrise 3.00 Miss Apres 3.35 Tattycoram 4.10 Aggagio (nb) 4.45 Hamish 5.20 Nariko (nap) 'We told as many people as would listen that we couldn't understand why he was such a huge price,' Johnston said. 'Lambourn was 13-2 yet this morning we were 100-1. It's safe to say the Chester form held up well. 'I'm surprised how well he handled the track because that was always my biggest concern, because he's quite a heavy-topped horse and we felt if the ground wasn't as soft as it was, he wouldn't be here.'
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Leinster overcome champions Glasgow to reach URC final
Leinster will host next week's United Rugby Championship final at Croke Park after dishing out a 37-19 beating to last year's winners Glasgow Warriors. The province, who had endured three straight URC semi-final defeats, regained their mojo to set up a Dublin decider against the Bulls or Sharks. Advertisement Dan Sheehan started and finished the first half's try-scoring to give Leinster a 25-5 lead as Jamie Osborne and Tom Clarkson also crossed at a rain-hit Aviva Stadium. Osborne and Ciaran Frawley made it six tries to one before closing scores from Jamie Dobie and Sione Tuipulotu added to George Horne's fourth-minute effort. The hosts hit the ground running with Jamison Gibson-Park pulling the trigger for Sheehan to raid over in the second minute. Glasgow swiftly cut the gap to 7-5 when Kyle Rowe's inviting kick infield was dotted down by Horne. Advertisement Crossing from James Lowe denied Leinster a second try before Sam Prendergast slotted over a 21st-minute penalty. A Gibson-Park forward pass ruled out an Osborne score but the young centre duly scored out wide from a slick Lowe offload. Leinster turned a scrum penalty into five more points when Clarkson rumbled over and Sheehan's maul try came on the stroke of half-time. Despite Tom Jordan switching to fly-half for the Warriors, Leinster, aided by Ryan Baird's player-of-the-match performance, remained in full control. Following a penalty miss from Prendergast, who had a disappointing day with the boot, Gibson-Park clinically played in Osborne in the 53rd minute to make it 32-5. Replacement Frawley followed him over the line just four minutes later, with Lowe's initial aerial take igniting a sweeping move. Sprung from the Scots' bench, Dobie raced over in the 71st minute and Tuipulotu displayed his dancing feet with a superb solo try from the edge of Leinster's 22.
