John Egan has an attempt on goal. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
1 hr ago
8:13PM
26 mins: Azaz goes on a mazy run on the edge of the area and is fouled by at least one North Macedonia player as he dribbles towards goal.
The same player blasts the subsequent free kick a few inches over.
1 hr ago
8:11PM
24 mins: Parrott gets his first half-chance.
But the striker’s header from the edge of the area is easily saved by Dimitrievski.
2 hrs ago
8:09PM
21 mins: Bardhi’s free kick takes a slight deflection off the Irish wall.
Nonetheless, Kelleher can parry it behind comfortably enough for a corner.
2 hrs ago
8:07PM
20 mins: Ogbene is penalised for a foul on Herrera on the edge of the area.
This feels like the first chance for North Macedonia to threaten.
2 hrs ago
8:05PM
18 mins: As it stands, this very much feels like the unwanted friendly it was perceived as.
The crowd are quiet, with very little to get excited about in the game so far.
2 hrs ago
8:01PM
15 mins: Ogbene’s shot from the edge of the area is deflected over.
That again came from an O’Shea delivery into the box that caused problems.
2 hrs ago
7:58PM
10 mins: Ogbene’s low cross is deflected out for a corner.
The ensuing set piece is half cleared before it falls to O’Shea, whose clipped delivery into the box is headed off target by Egan from a difficult angle.
2 hrs ago
7:54PM
7 mins: The North Macedonians have seen plenty of the ball in the early stages.
They’ve mostly played in front of the Irish defence and midfield, though.
2 hrs ago
7:52PM
5 mins: Molumby clips a ball over the top, but Parrott is adjudged offside.
Replays confirm the AZ Alkmaar star ran slightly too early.
Ireland's Manager Heimir Hallgrímsson ahead of the match. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
2 hrs ago
7:37PM
The Ireland boss, Heimir Hallgrímsson, gives his thoughts to RTÉ ahead of the game.
‘We want to finish with a good performance’ – Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson expects a big performance from his side pic.twitter.com/mWX8AFQBW7
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) March 31, 2026
2 hrs ago
7:11PM
Hello, and welcome to tonight’s liveblog.
With less than an hour until kick-off, it’s a subdued atmosphere at the Aviva.
Ireland ideally would have been playing Denmark now for a place at the World Cup, but the semi-final heartache against Czechia means they have ended up in this friendly for playoff losers.
It will, at least, be a chance for the Aviva to express their gratitude to experienced players like Seamus Coleman and John Egan who have served their country with distinction for years. This is the first game on home turf since the memorable defeat of Portugal in November.
It could also be a potentially memorable night for the likes of Bosun Lawal, Millenic Alli and Josh Keeley, who will be hoping to make their senior international debuts.
The North Macedonians, meanwhile, are likely to also be less-than-enthused about the prospect of this match, having been well beaten 4-0 by Denmark on Thursday.
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LIVE: Ireland v North Macedonia, international friendly
Ireland 0-0 North Macedonia
Right, that’s all from me.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
We’ll have more reaction on the site shortly.
So that’s that.
A game that won’t live long in the memory.
The visitors barely threatened and Ireland had a couple of chances to win it.
But both teams struggled to acquire momentum, amid a stop-start second half, and a draw feels like a fair enough result.
FULL-TIME: IRELAND 0-0 NORTH MACEDONIA
O’Brien wins the initial header from the corner but Idah can’t steer the follow up on target.
97 mins: Ireland win a corner.
One last chance.
90 mins: Big chance!
A lovely flick by Idah sets it up, but Kenny’s finish is straight at the goalkeeper.
Idah’s attempt goes disappointingly straight into the wall.
Less than three minutes remain.
Bejtulai has just been penalised for cynically chopping down Kenny on the edge of the area.
Ireland have a free kick in a promising position.
There will be seven minutes of stoppage time.
There probably should be more.
Troy Parrott has been named the official man of the match.
86 mins: Now, Ristovski is down receiving treatment.
The ball-in-play time for this half must be incredibly low.
84 mins: Abankwah looks gutted, as his Ireland debut ends prematurely — he is hobbling off assisted by medical staff.
It means Alan Browne comes on, while Johnny Kenny is also introduced for Ogbene.
80 mins: Herrera and Abankwah have been involved in a nasty-looking collision.
Both players are down, receiving treatment.
78 mins: All the substitutions have seriously disrupted the flow of the game.
Neither side look like scoring at the moment.
72 mins: More changes.
For Ireland, O’Brien and Idah come on for Egan and Parrott.
And for North Macedonia, Ramadani is replaced by Bejtulai. The former was himself a substitute, but seemed to pick up a knock.
68 mins: Lawal beats a man but then makes a mess of the pass.
39,560 is then announced as the official attendance.
Another sub for the visitors.
Fetai is replaced by Musliu.
64 mins: Straight away, Vale produces two testing deliveries.
The first is half cleared before the goalkeeper gathers the second under pressure from multiple Irish players.
Multiple changes on the way.
For Ireland, Vale, Lawal, Abankwah, and Travers are on.
Azaz, Coleman, Kelleher and Molumby are off.
For North Macedonia, Stankovski, Ramadani, Doriev and Nikolov come on.
Churlinov, Kostadinov, Alimi and Elmas go off.
55 mins: Azaz attempts a shot from the edge of the area that goes a few inches wide.
Moments later, Ogbene blasts well over.
It feels like Heimir Hallgrímsson, during the half-time break, told his players to try more shots.
53 mins: Azaz slips through Parrott.
The striker turns sharply, but his shot hits the outside of the post and goes behind.
Azaz has probably been Ireland’s best creative outlet and has delivered a more influential display than in Prague.
50 mins: Coleman gets the ball in a promising position on the right, but his cross goes straight into the goalkeeper’s arms.
Ireland need to be better from those types of situations.
North Macedonia have made a few changes at the break.
Rastoder, Darko Velkovski and Bardhi are off.
Serafimov, Musovski and Ristovski come on.
The second half has begun…
Czechia are on the way to the World Cup as it stands.
They lead Denmark 1-0 at half-time in their playoff final.
So half-time, and perhaps, unsurprisingly, it hasn’t been the greatest of spectacles.
Ireland have at least looked solid defensively, with the North Macedonians posing few problems.
The hosts began to look more dangerous as the half wore on, without seriously pressurising the visitors.
There has been just one shot on target (registered by Ireland), which emphasises the lack of attacking quality on display thus far.
HALF-TIME: IRELAND 0-0 NORTH MACEDONIA
44 mins: Parrott clips the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net, but he’s penalised for being offside.
Replays reveal it was a correct (if marginal) decision.
It was a lovely through pass from Azaz to set him up.
Better from Ireland.
Azaz lofts a ball towards the box.
Velkovski makes a mess of his attempted clearance.
But again, Parrott can’t hit the target with his finish.
Moments later, the 24-year-old is on the end of a rough tackle from Fetai, but looks like he’ll be alright to continue following treatment.
37 mins: Promising moment for Ireland.
Molumby slips through Parrott. The Dubliner wriggles away from two defenders, but his finish goes well over the bar.
Here’s a look at that Azaz free kick…
26 mins: Azaz goes on a mazy run on the edge of the area and is fouled by at least one North Macedonia player as he dribbles towards goal.
The same player blasts the subsequent free kick a few inches over.
24 mins: Parrott gets his first half-chance.
But the striker’s header from the edge of the area is easily saved by Dimitrievski.
21 mins: Bardhi’s free kick takes a slight deflection off the Irish wall.
Nonetheless, Kelleher can parry it behind comfortably enough for a corner.
20 mins: Ogbene is penalised for a foul on Herrera on the edge of the area.
This feels like the first chance for North Macedonia to threaten.
18 mins: As it stands, this very much feels like the unwanted friendly it was perceived as.
The crowd are quiet, with very little to get excited about in the game so far.
15 mins: Ogbene’s shot from the edge of the area is deflected over.
That again came from an O’Shea delivery into the box that caused problems.
10 mins: Ogbene’s low cross is deflected out for a corner.
The ensuing set piece is half cleared before it falls to O’Shea, whose clipped delivery into the box is headed off target by Egan from a difficult angle.
7 mins: The North Macedonians have seen plenty of the ball in the early stages.
They’ve mostly played in front of the Irish defence and midfield, though.
5 mins: Molumby clips a ball over the top, but Parrott is adjudged offside.
Replays confirm the AZ Alkmaar star ran slightly too early.
3 mins: It’s been an uneventful opening.
Neither team has created anything of note.
We’re underway…
The Ireland boss, Heimir Hallgrímsson, gives his thoughts to RTÉ ahead of the game.
Who do you think will win?
Poll Results:
And confirmation of the North Macedonia team here…
Confirmation of the Ireland starting XI below…
Hello, and welcome to tonight’s liveblog.
With less than an hour until kick-off, it’s a subdued atmosphere at the Aviva.
Ireland ideally would have been playing Denmark now for a place at the World Cup, but the semi-final heartache against Czechia means they have ended up in this friendly for playoff losers.
It will, at least, be a chance for the Aviva to express their gratitude to experienced players like Seamus Coleman and John Egan who have served their country with distinction for years. This is the first game on home turf since the memorable defeat of Portugal in November.
It could also be a potentially memorable night for the likes of Bosun Lawal, Millenic Alli and Josh Keeley, who will be hoping to make their senior international debuts.
The North Macedonians, meanwhile, are likely to also be less-than-enthused about the prospect of this match, having been well beaten 4-0 by Denmark on Thursday.
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Friendly Heimir Hallgrímsson Live Liveblog Minute-by-Minute north macedonia Ireland Republic