Gavin Cooney

THE IRISH PLAYERS’ first major task after the blood-pumping, ear-thrumming comeback draw with Hungary was to simply get some sleep.

“I don’t think it’s going to be easy for any Irishman to sleep tonight”, admitted Heimir Hallgrimsson after the game. The rest of us can at least muddle on through, whereas his players face a jacknife shift into Tuesday’s game away to Armenia. The post-game message in the dressing room was one to stress the positives, with Hallgrimsson insisting his players take pride and good feeling from their second-half comeback.

They awoke on Sunday morning and had an analysis session before hopping on a plane, on which they had to try and cram in some recovery. Josh Honohan joined them for that flight, called up with Sammie Szmodics ruled out through injury.

It leaves the Irish players only Monday to prepare for a game that will be played in close to 28-degree heat. 

And while Armenia opened their campaign with a 5-0 thumping from Portugal, they had the benefit of home advantage. 

Ireland’s draw with Hungary can only count for something if they can take six points from Armenia and aim to being the fight for second spot down to the final day. Tomorrow’s game is therefore must-win. 

A further concern for Ireland is the fact these players have often struggled with the hangover after a big night against high-ranking opponents. In 2022 World Cup qualifying, for instance, they opened the campaign by landing some blows away to Serbia in a 3-2 win and then came out for the infamous 1-0 loss to Luxembourg. Later that year they had their hearts broken in Faro by Cristiano Ronaldo after a very creditable performance, and then slumbered their way to a 1-1 draw at home to Azerbaijan. 

The last time they took four points from a single, two-game window was in November 2021, and that was when Ireland were out of contention and playing a second-string Portugal side who had their sights set on their following game against Serbia. Thus the last four-point window at a time in which Ireland still had a shot at qualifying was under Mick McCarthy in June 2019, when a 1-1 draw away to Denmark was followed by a sleepy 2-0 win at home to Gibraltar. 

The goalless draw with Luxembourg from June of this year that you’ve already forgotten about is also playing on Hallgrimsson’s mind: it was a non-performance from Ireland days after a home draw against a strong opponent in Senegal.

Ireland simply must break the hangover cycle in Yerevan tomorrow night. 

To that end, Hallgrimsson is at pains to make sure Ireland don’t underestimate Armenia, even if they have hired a new manager and were still battered by Portugal on opening night. 

“Looking at the result they had against Portugal, it’s easy to get carried away, to be overconfident, and think, OK, they lost big, it’s going to be an easy game”, says Hallgrimsson. “I hope both you guys and my players will not think that way, because I know when you lose big, you come strong in the next one.

“It’s a game that we should take respect, we should respect them, we should respect Armenia.

“It’s just like Iceland when we go to Eurovision: we always think we have the best song, but we never go to the qualifying round.” 

Ireland simply must start well in Yerevan. Giving Hungary a two-goal headstart on Saturday night was baffling, and they have now conceded the first goal in eight of Hallgrimsson’s nine competitive games in charge. He has speculated that their slow starts are down to psychological problems, admitting that too many players are sufficiently switched on from the start of the game. 

But while he exudes calm as a person, Hallgrimsson is beginning to think his players thrive better in chaos. And while that may not be the most sustainable of approaches, perhaps it’s enough to shove Ireland over the line in this six-game qualifying sprint. 

“If it helps us, I really like more chaos than calmness”, he says. “If it helps us, and I think we have so much energy, we have so much physical strength in the team, we shouldn’t be a calm team, we should use that power to help us win games.

“But I hope the Armenians cannot hold us and hang to us like [Hungary] did.

“We’re at our best when we’re on our front foot, and I think Irish people like to see us on the front foot, being brave in action, going for it, crossing and winning duels.” 

Given the quick turnaround, the enervating travel and this team’s endemic inconsistency, Ireland have yet to prove they can land in Yerevan on the front foot. Perhaps Hallgrimsson will have to make a bargain with the chaos again.