FORMER REPUBLIC OF Ireland U21 international Finn Azaz was central to a Plymouth Argyle hammering of Norwich City in the English Championship this afternoon, scoring one and assisting another in a 6-2 Argyle victory.
Senior Ireland striker Adam Idah scored both of Norwich’s goals at Home Park, doubling his season’s tally to four in what was an otherwise chastening day for David Wagner’s Canaries.
A first-half brace by Morgan Whittaker, which sandwiched a Dan Scarr strike, had ostensibly already decided the result before Azaz bagged Plymouth’s fourth deep into stoppage time before the break.
The 23-year-old Aston Villa loanee was capped once by Jim Crawford’s Ireland U21s 12 months ago — incidentally against Israel, for whom he also qualifies.
Azaz was instrumental today for mid-table Plymouth, creating six chances — and two big opportunities — as they moved to within three points of Norwich in the play-off spots.
His goal was an aesthetically pleasing solo effort, Azaz faking a shot just inside the area and rolling the ball back across a defender with his right foot before firing past Angus Gunn with his left.
🏴 | GOAL | Plymouth Argyle vs Norwich City
— Mohsan (@MohsanLFC) September 23, 2023
Finn Azaz
pic.twitter.com/obeYMNjDRV
After the break, Azaz laid on Whittaker’s hat-trick goal for 5-0 just shy of the hour mark before Idah replied for Norwich with a drilled, right-footed finish into the bottom left-hand corner.
Idah pulled another back from the penalty spot on 78 minutes before Luke Cundle completed Argyle’s rout shortly before the final whistle.
Adam Idah’s with a tidy finish to get a goal back for Norwich!🇮🇪👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/Ks5OwBGHGn
— Rep of Ireland Player Tracker (@reptracker) September 23, 2023
Elsewhere in the Championship, Irish-qualified Sammie Szmodics continued his excellent goalscoring form for Blackburn, levelling the game at 3-3 before hosts Ipswich struck a 79th-minute winner through Massimo Luongo.
Robbie Brady assisted Liam Lindsay’s equaliser in Preston’s 1-1 draw at Rotherham while, in League One, James Collins scored the 199th and 200th goals of his club-football career in Derby County’s 2-0 win away to Carlisle.
