Ireland v Senegal: Debut boy Kasey McAteer puts Boys In Green ahead
Live |
Ireland take on the might of Senegal in a friendly at the Aviva Stadium this evening (kick-off 7.45pm).
Heimir Hallgrimsson's side face an African nation unbeaten in their last 20 games – a tough challenge in preparation for the big World Cup qualifications to come later this year.
Catch all the action as it happens here.
Kasey McAteer
22'
25'
Another corner for Ireland! It's a superb bit of link up play between Brady and Manning as the latter overlaps and looks to cut it back only for Abdou Diallo to cut it out.
22'
Goal
Ireland
Scorer
Kasey McAteer
Assist
Nathan Collins
GOAL! It wasn't the prettiest in the end but that doesn't matter a jot! A corner to the back post is flicked out by Collins to Ryan Manning who clips it back into Collins who raced into a central position.
The Brentford man's flick is driven goalward by McAteer who is spectacularly denied by Diouf. Senegal's keeper is oh so unlucky as the ball comes off the crossbar and back to the Leicester City man for a tap-in.
20'
Scoring Chance
Ireland
Player
Will Smallbone
Best chance of the game so far! Dara O'Shea instigates the move with a neat switch to the lively McAteer who skips past two Senegalese men. The ball falls kindly for Smallbone who laces it, but it's a good handful of yards wide. Nonetheless, promising from Hallgrimsson's side!
16'
The ball breaks outside the box for Ilay Camara who decides to have a go - a couple of ironic jeers and whistles meet it from the Irish fans as his effort sails into Row Z. Clear scoring chances few and far between up to this juncture!
14'
Ireland get their first corner of the game as Will Smallbone's cross is blocked by Abdoulaye Seck. A minute earlier McAteer and Taylor almost combined but the Ipswich midfielder just couldn't climb high enough to direct a header on goal.
The resulting corner ultimately leads to nothing as Yehvann Diouf gathers with ease.
9'
Kasey McAteer tries to thread a difficult pass out to Robbie Brady which is cut out by Abdullah Sima. His pass is a bit loose and the ball creeps out for an Irish throw-in as Antoine Mendy fails to control it in time.
5'
First foray into the Irish half for Senegal which yields a corner as Abdullah Sima's cross is blocked by Robbie Brady.
That could have been ugly! Krepin Diatta's corner caught Dara O'Shea unawares and the ball crept past Caoimhin Kelleher's post who probably had it covered.
4'
Decent early pressure from Ireland which stemmed from a long throw into the box. Jack Taylor recycled to Kasey McAteer who skipped through two tackles. The clipped cross lacked purchase however, allowing Yehann Diouf to collect with ease.
1. Half
The first-half begins between Ireland and Senegal!
We are underway in this first-half at Lansdowne Road! It's turned into a pretty nice evening for football with temperatures lingering around 11 degrees and little to no wind.
After the formalities and national anthems, Senegal get the ball rolling through Lazio striker Boulaye Dia.
34 minutes ago
SENEGAL'S TEAM TONIGHT:
Legendary head coach Aliou Cisse named his Senegal team starting with a lot of the big names left on the bench including Kalidou Koulibaly, Idrissa Gueye, Nicolas Jackson, and Ismaila Sarr:
1. Yehvann Diouf; 14. Ismail Jakobs, 22. Abdou Diallo, 4. Abdoulaye Seck, 6. Antoine Mendy; 15. Krepin Diatta, 2. Ilay Camara, 6. Habib Diarra; 13. Iliman Ndiaye, 9. Boulaye Dia, 21. Abdullah Sima
38 minutes ago
IRELAND LINE-UP:
Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson sets his team up as follows with Kasey McAteer and Jack Taylor in for their first Irish starts this evening.
Caoimhin Kelleher gets the nod in goals behind a back four of Matt Doherty, Nathan Collins, Dara O'Shea and Robbie Brady. Jason Knight and Ryan Manning join the aforementioned Taylor and McAteer in midfield behind a front two of Will Smallbone and Adam Idah:
47 minutes ago
With qualification games for the 2026 World Cup looming, Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson believes Senegal will act as the perfect litmus test for his players:
Heimir Hallgrimsson believes Senegal's 'massive physicality' ideal for big Ireland tests to come
Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson believes that Friday's international friendly at home to Senegal is the ideal chance to prepare for the daunting tests to come.
www.independent.ie
52 minutes ago
WATCH: Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson speaking to RTE's Tony O'Donoghue before the game
58 minutes ago
Ahead of Ireland's meeting with Senegal, Sean O'Connor cast the magnifying glass over the Boys in Green's opponents and they array of talents they possess:
From 2002 World Cup to 2021 AFCON champions – meet Ireland's opponents Senegal, a country we have never faced before
Senegal, the Lions of Teranga, are the penultimate step before Ireland's World Cup qualifying campaign begins and perhaps fitting before they enter the lion's den.
www.independent.ie
Today 02:04 PM
After a video emerged on social media showing Adam Idah embroiled in an argument, the Cork native said he has already moved on and won't let the controversial clip affect him:
'I am human and I'm going to carry on with my life' – Adam Idah shrugs off leaked video row to focus on Ireland's World Cup dream
It didn't take long for Adam Idah to learn that playing for a particular club in the south-east of England would not be the same as making the grade in his new place of employment in Scotland.
www.independent.ie
Today 01:55 PM
The Indo Sport Podcast is worth the listen this week – ex-Ireland international Meabh De Burca and Dan McDonnell delve into both Ireland's men's and women's national teams, Stephen Bradley's comments and reaction to Caoimhin Kelleher's transfer:
Indo Sport podcast: The Football Show | Heimir's last test drive until World Cup run | Ireland are stagnant - can Carla Ward adapt?
Former Ireland international Meabh De Burca joins Joe to react to an international window where Carla Ward stuck to her guns and style of play - but how much is it working so far?
www.independent.ie
Today 01:51 PM
Robbie Brady sat down with RTE this week for an insightful interview into the Dubliner's life in green:
Today 01:45 PM
Good evening and welcome to another Independent.ie live blog as Ireland take on Senegal in the first of two summer international friendlies. My name is Ultán Corcoran and I will be keeping you updated as the action unfolds on the pitch.
The Aviva Stadium is the venue for this evening's game with a strong home crowd expected to cheer on Heimir Hallgrimsson's Boys in Green. The game is being televised over on RTE 2 and the RTE Player online with coverage starting from 7pm. Kick-off is a fraction later at 7.45pm.
Today 01:40 PM
Kasey McAteer and Jack Taylor will make their first Irish starts in tonight's friendly against Senegal, while Adam Idah will lead the line with Troy Parrott and Evan Ferguson benched.
Leicester winger McAteer and Ipswich engine room operator Taylor get a chance to impress in the midfield department - an area where Heimir Hallgrimsson is missing several established Championship squad members.
Will Smallbone also comes into the side, with Hallgrimsson suggesting yesterday that he saw the Southampton player as an attacking midfielder and not a defensive one. That suggests he could slot into the position vacated by the absent Finn Azaz.
Celtic striker Idah gets the nod up top with Parrott - who has been struggling with sickness - dropping to the bench. There is also no start for Evan Ferguson, who arrived into camp short of gametime after a very disappointing loan at West Ham.
As expected, Hallgrimsson has gone with a back four of Matt Doherty, Nathan Collins, Dara O'Shea and Robbie Brady
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
13 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Really happy' Irish star Sarah Healy ‘having a lot of fun' after sensational first-ever Diamond League victory in Rome
SARAH HEALY declared "I'm having a lot of fun" after securing his first ever win at the Diamond League. The Irish star ran 3:59.17 to romp to victory in the 1,500m at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Friday night. Advertisement The Dubliner surged to the front in the last 40 metres to edge Australian duo Sarah Billings (3:59.24) and Abbey Caldwell (3:59.32). And she said: 'I'm obviously really happy to come away with the win. 'It was a really competitive field, I thought it wouldn't be crazy quick and it was quite crowded, there was a lot of bodies and I was further back than I wanted to be the whole time. "But I tried to stay patient and in the last lap I had to make a good few moves, which I was happy with, especially on the home straight. Advertisement Read More on Sarah Healy 'I know my shape is good, I ran a big 3km PB two weeks ago so I know I'm really fit. "Hopefully a PB in the 1500m is coming for me soon but today, I just wanted to compete for the win. "I know I'm good at hard, fast races, but races like this were more where I struggled so I'm really, really happy to win – it's really cool.' Healy has been edging towards victory in recent times, having finished third in the 3,000m at the Rabat Diamond League. Advertisement Most read in Athletics She will next race in 1,500m at the Paris Diamond League on June 20, and revealed the secret behind her success. She added: 'I'm having a lot of fun which is the main thing. Inside Sarah Healy's life beyond athletics from impressive college degree to passion for travelling the globe 'And it's probably why I'm running so well.' 2025 is already set up to be a stunning year for Healy, who claimed European gold as recently as March. Advertisement The Irish star dominated the 3,000m at the Euro Indoors, crossing the line in a brilliant 8:52.86, She followed that up by finishing Healy was in contention throughout and only lost touch with the leaders in the final 400m when gold medal winner Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia kicked clear. Healy crossed the line in 8.40.00, just 13 days after she won the European title in Apeldoorn. Advertisement She said: 'It was a pretty solid race from me. I put myself in the right position from the start. 'I expected the race to be faster, it ended up being slow with a big wind-up towards the end. 'When the big move was made at three laps to go, I was a little too far back and had a lot to make up. 'I think sixth is a pretty solid result for me and I'm pretty happy with it, but it does leave me hungry for more.' Advertisement 1 Sarah Healy claimed her first ever Diamond League victory in Rome Credit: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
The 42
an hour ago
- The 42
'Of course it concerns me': McIlroy's nightmare round the worst possible prep for US Open
RORY MCILROY PLANS to spend the weekend testing new drivers after missing the cut at the Canadian Open with a disastrous second round of eight-over par 78. The world number two had a new driver in the bag this week in Toronto in a bid to get more control, but hit just four out of 14 fairways in his nightmare second round. One such miss came at the par-four fifth where he was right off the tee before firing his approach shot long and out of bounds, taking a quadruple-bogey eight that effectively condemned him to a first missed cut of the season. 'Yeah, of course it concerns me,' McIlroy told media afterwards when asked about the short turnaround to the third Major of the season, the US Open at Oakmont next week. 'You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today. Still I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't. Obviously going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways. [I'm] still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee. 'Obviously for me, when I get that part of the game clicking, then everything falls into place for me. Right now that isn't. Yeah, that's a concern going into next week.' McIlroy finished his round with four bogeys and a double as well as the quad at the fifth, and spent the latter part of Friday's round Advertisement 'I didn't hit enough fairways. I felt like I drove the ball better yesterday than I did today. 'I think once I made that big number on the front nine, I was always behind the eight ball a little bit. After nine holes, I sort of resigned myself to the fact that I'd be flying home to Florida tonight. 'Yeah, it was just about trying to think about — trying to make a few good swings, seeing where the misses were. You're trying to sort of learn as much as I could just looking ahead to next week. He explained: 'I think there's still learnings that you have to take from a day like today. Look, even though the last two days didn't go the way I wanted them to, there's still things that I can take from it, and there's still things that I can learn. I'm going to have to do a lot of practice and a lot of work over the weekend at home and try to at least have a better idea of where my game is going into next week.' Part of that work will involve figuring which driver to put in the bag as he bids to go one better after agonising near misses and runner-up finishes at each of the last two US Opens. 'I was saying to Harry [Diamond, his caddy] going down the last this is the second time this year I've tried the new version, and it hasn't quite worked out for me. 'So I'd say I'll be testing quite a few drivers over the weekend.' Irish eyes this week are firmly on Shane Lowry who backed up his brilliant opening round with a second-round 68 on Friday, moving to eight-under par and four shots off the lead held by America's Cameron Champ. Lowry will tee off at 6.10pm on Saturday evening alongside first-round co-leader Cristobal Del Solar of Chile, with Champ and Andrew Putnam — who is two shots back — out in the final group at 6.50pm.
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Lions distractions have been addressed - Leo Cullen says Leinster fully focussed
It's the end of the season and nowhere near the end of the season. Come 5pm today, or next Saturday evening, club duties will be all wrapped up but, for a sizeable 12 of the Leinster contingent, it will be another eight weeks before they can put their feet up. That's the current tally of Lions-in-waiting that Leo Cullen has to deal with for, hopefully, the next seven days. Today's squad for the semi-final of the BKT URC against Glasgow has eight, Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Jack Conan, Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe and Rónan Kelleher. Staying on ice for the moment are Josh van der Flier (hamstring), Tadhg Furlong (calf), Hugo Keenan (calf) and Garry Ringrose (calf). It's a month since Andy Farrell named his squad and it would be impossible for any of the tourists to completely park the buzz that comes with the thoughts of representing the Lions; 10 of the 12 are first-time Lions, albeit Porter and Kelleher were part of the 2021 entourage without playing. But the closing stages of the URC fall into that grey zone between the hurt and devastation of the Champions Cup semi-final and the prestige of the trip to Australia, and for others, Ireland's summer Tests against Georgia and Portugal. Leaving the blowout against a quarter-hearted Zebre aside, the performances of the team in wins over Glasgow and Scarlets have been widely criticised; Leinster just don't look themselves. Balls are dropping, unnecessary passes are attempted, discipline is poor and the much-vaunted defence is being breached. They might just be trying too hard but, as Cullen said last weekend, this shouldn't be a "drudge". He was asked if he felt the Lions factor wasn't playing on the minds of his stars, some of whom are unlikely to tour again and 11 of whom already have URC medals, or iterations of, in their back pockets. "It was addressed and we moved forward and everyone is focussed," the head coach told RTÉ Sport. Did he feel it had to be? "Well, I just think it is one of those things, there is all sorts of distractions, it is not specific to that, there is other things that are going on at the moment. "There was an Irish squad picked the middle of this week as well. "There is all those things there as well but we just need to stay focussed on what we need to focus on. "At this time of year it's putting in a big performance for lots of reasons. "Every player out there will have something else that will be motivating so we have been well supported over the year and we want to put in that performance in a home game. "It will be the last game in the Aviva with Leinster regardless of what happens, so we will try and do everything we can to keep the season alive for another week." After urging fans to get onboard, to get excited about knockout rugby and the prospect of a first trophy since 2021, Cullen (above) could have done without the weather gods going against him, too. It's set to be a wet day in Dublin and, as of early yesterday afternoon, ticket sales were closing in on 15,000. The Wicklow man, in charge at the club since 2015, says he hopes the team are able to put in action the lessons learned from the scrappy 33-21 win over Scarlets, and more importantly, the 37-34 loss to Northampton. The 47 year-old said: "There's a little bit around the conditions as well. "If you think there was a fair old downpour leading into the [Scarlets] game and even at half-time as well, and there's rain due [today]. "You've got to be able to manage some of that at this time of year, because the games are different. "It's knockout games, particularly the way teams come and play against us. They're not playing a huge amount of multi-phase rugby, strong kicking games. "You have to be able to adapt on the day. But the conditions play a big part for sure. We didn't have a dry day last week. "You'd certainly hope [we've learned our lessons], particularly when you get burned by an occasion, for sure, because we've had positive play-off games where we've racked up big scores on dry days and conceded no points but it didn't ultimately help. "So, you'd prefer two 6-3 wins if it meant you were going to win semi-finals. "There's always a bit of learnings that go on there but none of us know exactly what way it will unfold. "That's the pressure of knockout games."
