[ad_1]
The Republic of Eire’s Nations League distress continued as Eduard Spertsyan blasted Armenia to victory in Yerevan. The midfielder hammered a long-range Seventy fifth-minute effort previous keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, making his aggressive debut for Eire, handy the League B newcomers victory and revenge for his or her controversial Euro 2012 qualifying defeat in Dublin.
Stephen Kenny’s males, who’ve not gained in 11 makes an attempt for the reason that competitors was launched, might have few complaints on a night when their eight-game unbeaten run got here to a disappointing finish at a sweltering Republican Stadium. Eire loved the higher hand for lengthy durations, however didn’t convert dominance into possibilities.
Callum Robinson had a mis-hit first-half shot cleared off the road and Chiedozie Ogbene headed over when he may need performed higher, however they wilted after the break and have been caught by a sucker punch, albeit one delivered with aplomb.
With the captain, Séamus Coleman, and Enda Stevens working as wing-backs, Eire went straight on to the offensive in an effort to grab the initiative, however it was Kelleher, taking part in rather than the injured Gavin Bazunu, who was known as upon to maintain out Tigran Barseghyan’s skidding sixth-minute effort after Nathan Collins had surrendered the ball.
Eire threatened for the primary time when Josh Cullen fed Ogbene and he slid the ball into Robinson’s path, however the striker might solely ripple the side-netting along with his try. Neither aspect have been capable of exert any measure of management in an error-strewn passage of play and Robinson may need performed higher when he scuffed Ogbene’s Sixteenth-minute cross in the direction of objective, the place Hovhannes Hambardzumyan cleared off the road. Shane Duffy headed over from Cullen’s nook with the guests having regained their composure, however clearcut openings proved few and much between.
The Armenia keeper David Yurchenko triggered panic in his personal penalty space with a less-than-effective punch as he tried to cope with Troy Parrott’s pushed cross and Spertsyan survived penalty appeals for handball as Coleman recycled.
Ogbene dragged a Thirty eighth-minute shot previous the far put up after Robinson had collected Hendrick’s nice go and squared earlier than Parrott curled broad from distance 4 minutes earlier than the break with Eire urgent. Nonetheless, Ogbene handed up maybe the perfect probability of the half in stoppage time when he was left unmarked from Cullen’s free-kick, however powered his header inches over.
The house aspect served warning of their menace on the break inside 5 minutes of the restart, when Barseghyan performed Hambardzumyan into house down the proper after which collected his return go earlier than stepping neatly inside Parrott to curve an outstanding shot into the highest nook. Nonetheless, an offside flag spared Kenny’s aspect to halt celebrations and Barseghyan couldn’t discover the identical accuracy with an analogous effort from larger vary six minutes later.
Duffy headed a 62nd-minute Cullen nook straight at Yurchenko and put one other try broad from Stevens’s cross seconds later because the guests responded.
The Fiver: enroll and get our each day soccer e-mail.
Hendrick curled a 69th-minute shot into Yurchenko’s midriff, however it was Armenia who took the lead with quarter-hour left when Spertsyan was allowed to shut in on objective earlier than unleashing a 25-yard strike which beat Kelleher’s despairing dive and went in off the upright.
John Egan thumped a later header broad because the Republic sought salvation however Armenia, who misplaced 9-0 in Norway final outing, held agency to take the factors.
[ad_2]
Source link
