Ireland fell to a frustrating defeat to Greece on Sunday night, as a positive second-half performance was overshadowed by the concession of two poor goals as the hosts held on for a 2-0 victory.
Heimir Hallgrímsson's side were met with a far tougher opponent than that which they so memorably toppled in Helsinki on Thursday, as Greece dominated the first half and Ireland had the heroics of Caoimhín Kelleher to thank for going in at the break level.
There was a familiar story in the second half, however, as Ireland yet again conceded a long-range strike from the edge of the box just after the break.
🇬🇷 1-0 🇮🇪 - 47 mins
Tasos Bakasetas with a thunderous finish has the hosts in front #COYBIG #GREIRL #NationsLeague #rtesoccer
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📺 Watch: @RTE2 and @RTEPlayer
📻 Listen: @GameOn2FM pic.twitter.com/TsWWsr9HBr— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) October 13, 2024
The Irish performance would dramatically improve in the second half and, for large portions of the closing stages, it looked as though a result could be there for Hallgrímsson's charges.
That hope came crashing down in the dying moments. Seconds after being named Player of the Match, Kelleher produced a calamitous error to gift Greece their second.
RES: 🇬🇷 2-0 🇮🇪
Loose pass from Caoimhin Kelleher allows Mantalos to make it 2-0 #COYBIG #GREIRL #NationsLeague
📱 Live updates: https://t.co/jPhsXwNBT7
📺 Watch: @RTE2 and @RTEPlayer
📻 Listen: @GameOn2FM pic.twitter.com/Vq2wb7Wg1i— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) October 13, 2024
It was the second time in three days that an Irish player had gifted the opposition a goal, after Nathan Collins' calamity in Helsinki.
The needlessness of these errors will be hugely frustrating for Irish fans after what was a promising window, and Richie Sadlier said post-match that the squad should hold each other accountable behind closed doors.
READ HERE: Ireland Player Ratings As Greece Hold On For Victory In Athens
READ HERE: Hugely Emotional Scenes As Ireland And Greece Pay Pre-Match Tribute To George Baldock
Greece 2-0 Ireland: Richie Sadlier says players must slam each other for mistakes
There was a deflated air about the reaction to Sunday night's defeat, after what had felt for large spells like a big step forward from Ireland against Greece.
In an all-too-familiar scenario, the result was ultimately worse than the performance had threatened for much of the game.
On RTÉ post-match, Stephen Kelly said that much of the frustration of recent months from an Irish perspective was the belief that the squad is better than the results have suggested.
Richie Sadlier would expand on that point, saying that the players have to hold each other accountable for needless slips in concentration like Kelleher's in Athens.
The goals we've conceded in the last two games are the most obvious example of us saying, 'We can do better.' Two of the three goals we've conceded have been gifts.
You could drop down about eight levels in the football ladder from where those players are, those players eight levels down would be furious with themselves for making those [errors].
This is a howler. This shouldn't happen. Kelleher did really well tonight, he was deservedly Player of the Match up until this point but that shouldn't happen. Nathan Collins shouldn't have done what he did the other night, that goal shouldn't have been conceded either.
I hope, internally...I don't think publicly it helps anybody for any of those players to call each other out for the sloppy stuff. But I hope internally they're nailing each other.
They're trying to create a culture, the manager has all the different phrases and we from a distance have all the different traits we want to see from these lads. But they've got to create a culture that absolutely nails each other for that stuff internally because that's costing them big time.
Hard-hitting stuff but no doubt there will be similar sentiments thrown around the Ireland dressing room in the Karaiskakis Stadium.
Sadlier was fair to the Irish troops in Athens, saying that there were glimmers of the same upward trend witnessed against Finland on Thursday. He would compare the game to last month's 2-0 defeat to the same opposition, saying that the mood this time around shows that some more positivity is pervading around the team.
I'm thinking back to the Dublin game between these two teams a month ago. One of the most notable things was when Greece went 1-0 up. Not just in the crowd but on the pitch...I don't want to sound harsh but they completely folded. They had absolutely no way of coming into the game, showed no sign of coming back or bringing up any kind of response.
That wasn't the response [tonight]. If you're looking at the progress of the team or the impact and influence of the manager and staff...there was loads of things tonight in that second half to go, 'We're on to something here.' Loads of things were really good.
Huge resilience, doggedness, concentration in the first half and in the second half they found composure on the ball, an ability to keep the ball.
There is a long way to go for Heimir Hallgrímsson's Ireland team but it is clear that their mentality has developed even in the two windows of his tenure thus far.
If they can implement the ruthlessness referenced by Richie Sadlier on Sunday, there may be better times ahead.
