Confidence is growing within Republic of Ireland squad
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.
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.
A strong performance from the boys but tonight's friendly ends in a draw 🤝 pic.twitter.com/1Zs4stKQOf
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) June 6, 2025
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.
'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.
'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.'
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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Crystal Palace line up £40m-rated AC Milan star Strahinja Pavlovic in Marc Guehi replacement transfer
OLIVER GLASNER will make a new move to sign AC Milan's Strahinja Pavlovic with the Italian club wanting £40million. The Crystal Palace boss thinks the powerful Serb would be an ideal addition with Europe on the agenda next term. Advertisement 1 Crystal Palace are preparing a move for AC Milan star Strahinja Pavlovic Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Centre-back Pavlovic, 24, only moved from RB Salzburg for £15m a year ago but Palace have been tracking him for months. Boss Glasner wants extra competition at the back but the Eagles will not pay over the top and could start the bidding at just £25m. Glasner is a huge fan of Pavlovic's — who was a regular in Milan's Serie A and Champions League campaigns — so it is an ambitious target. He scored two goals and provided just as many assists in 35 appearances from centre-back this term. Advertisement READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS TO BE FRANK Spurs to hijack Man Utd's £60m Mbeumo as Brentford identify Frank replacement Meanwhile, Pavlovic started six of Milan's ten Champions League games, and 21 Serie A matches. Palace qualified for next seasons Europa League after beating Manchester City in a shock 1-0 win in the FA Cup final. But the club's European status is under threat from Uefa because owner John Textor also owns shares in Lyon. Juventus' Tiago Djalo, 25, is an alternative. Advertisement CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Palace are possibly in the market for two defenders, especially if Marc Guehi leaves. Burnley's Maxime Esteve, 23, is also admired. Crystal Palace could be KICKED OUT of Europa League before a ball is even kicked Meanwhile, Palace are in talks with striker Jean-Philippe Mateta over signing a new contract. Advertisement The 27-year-old was a standout performer in Glasner's side last season, scoring 17 goals in all competitions as Palace won the FA Cup - their first major trophy.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Crystal Palace line up £40m-rated AC Milan star Strahinja Pavlovic in Marc Guehi replacement transfer
OLIVER GLASNER will make a new move to sign AC Milan's Strahinja Pavlovic with the Italian club wanting £40million. The Crystal Palace boss thinks the powerful Serb would be an ideal addition with Europe on the agenda next term. 1 Centre-back Pavlovic, 24, only moved from RB Salzburg for £15m a year ago but Palace have been tracking him for months. Boss Glasner wants extra competition at the back but the Eagles will not pay over the top and could start the bidding at just £25m. Glasner is a huge fan of Pavlovic's — who was a regular in Milan's Serie A and Champions League campaigns — so it is an ambitious target. He scored two goals and provided just as many assists in 35 appearances from centre-back this term. Meanwhile, Pavlovic started six of Milan's ten Champions League games, and 21 Serie A matches. Palace qualified for next seasons Europa League after beating Manchester City in a shock 1-0 win in the FA Cup final. But the club's European status is under threat from Uefa because owner John Textor also owns shares in Lyon. Juventus' Tiago Djalo, 25, is an alternative. Palace are possibly in the market for two defenders, especially if Marc Guehi leaves. Burnley's Maxime Esteve, 23, is also admired. Meanwhile, Palace are in talks with striker Jean-Philippe Mateta over signing a new contract. The 27-year-old was a standout performer in Glasner's side last season, scoring 17 goals in all competitions as Palace won the FA Cup - their first major trophy.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Iceland keeper tells Scotland rookie how to bounce back from errors
The 22-year-old wasn't even meant to be number two to Angus Gunn, but Robby McCrorie's warm-up knock, combined with Gunn's injury six minutes in against Iceland, meant the rookie was thrust in for his senior international bow. And it is difficult to think of many other Scotland debuts that have gone worse. Read more: Seconds after coming on, Slicker gave the ball away while playing out from the back. It eventually came to Andri Gudjohnsen, who curved it into the top corner for Iceland's opener. The stopper then could, and probably should, have done better for the visitors' second and third goals. Elias Olafsson, who watched his fellow keeper's nightmarish evening from between the Iceland sticks, couldn't hide his solace. "It's always tough, especially when you come into the game cold off the bench," he said. "Then, when you come in and make some mistakes, it's hard to get back into the game. I feel empathy for him. "It's not the preparation you want for your debut, to not know you're coming in this early in the game as well. It's difficult. To come into the game and know you're going to play, that's 100% the best thing, in my opinion. It's just about now to go to the hotel, forget about this and move on. "It's not going to be the most fun of nights, but it's about keeping your head up. That's how it is. People see the mistakes. You have to be strong mentally for that. Of course, you hope you make them in training, not in the games. But you can't always. It was not his day today. That's how it is. It was a hard game to come into. I feel it's hard making any debut, coming in when you don't expect to come in. That's how it is when you're a goalkeeper. It's a lonely position, it really is. You can either be a hero or nothing." Friday marked Olafsson's seventh appearance for his country. He plays his football for Danish top-flight outfit FC Midtjylland, and has done so since 2018. Prior to his Hampden visit, the 25-year-old had only won two games when starting for Iceland, both of which came against Liechtenstein, the nation currently ranked 204th in the world by FIFA. The rarity of a victory, therefore, made his trip to Glasgow's southside all the sweeter, even though he expected more from Scotland. "It's a really big one [win], especially with the new things we're trying to build. It worked out pretty well. Apart from the last 20 minutes, where we fell back a little bit trying to keep the ball a little bit, it went well. "It was really nice to play in front of the Scottish fans as well. It was a nice experience. Coming into the game, I felt like we were going to be under more pressure. I think we handled it well, their pressure. We could play out of it. It's nice to be a part of a win and feel like you brought something to the team. It's a fantastic feeling." Part of Olafsson's sympathy for Slicker comes from the fact that he himself once made a high-profile error, albeit not for his country. When Midtjylland travelled to face FCSB in Europa League action last season, he gave the ball straight to the feet of Daniel Birligea almost immediately after the second-half restart. His team lost the game 2-0, yet that's life as a goalkeeper. "I had one [error] in a Europa League game. It's a pretty big mistake from kick-off, but that's how it is. You just have to be honest. It's a mistake by you. 'You just have to be honest and forget about it. It's a part of the game. When we make mistakes, it's very obvious — it leads to a goal. It's a bit of a different position to the outfield players." Next up for Iceland after their eye-catching Scotland victory is another friendly, this time across the water against Northern Ireland in Belfast. Azerbaijan, France and Ukraine then stand in their way of making it to what would only be a second World Cup next year. While an arduous qualifying campaign lies ahead, Olafsson relishes the international scene and the refreshing dynamic it provides in comparison to club football. "It's a different game. It's a little bit like European football. If you make mistakes, you get it in the face. It's a different kind of football from the club level." Slicker will undoubtedly have been down in the dumps after Friday. He had only played one senior match in the entirety of the recent 2024/25 campaign, and it showed. The stopper didn't look sharp, yet going forward, things can surely only improve. His teammates will rally around him, even if Olafsson didn't get the chance to express his sympathy in person. "No," he replied when asked if he spoke to Slicker post-match. "Unfortunately, I was too high. It's a big night for me as well. It's a nice feeling." Scotland travel to Liechtenstein on Monday for the final game before their World Cup qualification quest commences. Whether Clarke will rotate his team after the Iceland loss remains to be seen, although one thing is for sure: victory is a must, or the mood music surrounding the national team will enter into a state of crisis, if it isn't already.
