Republic of Ireland put controversy aside to earn impressive win over Israel

Football and politics are inseparable in the modern world, no matter how many people wish that weren’t true. But whether the beautiful game can ease the ills of our age is another matter. After a week in which the issue of Irish support for the people of Gaza had turned this fixture into a battle of conscience, the outcome of this underwhelming match ultimately felt inconsequential.

In the end the result was indeed a walkover, just not because of a boycott. On Saturday night the question had been whether Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side would take to the field in Hungary at all. If they did, would their heads be in the game? It turned out that a week of internal angst had been enough to produce collective resolve among the Irish squad, or at least those selected to play. Strong and assertive from the off, their forwards each scored a goal in the first half to settle the contest, with plenty of symbolic action to remind those back home of their feelings.

In a way the atmosphere in Debrecen was reminiscent of a match played during Covid. Every word uttered in the ground was audible and the nigh-on empty stands carried their own oppressive weight. As the nominal home side, Israel had been allowed a small delegation of fans, about 150, who were doing their best to be excitable. Meanwhile, two blocks away were the Irish contingent, around a dozen people who had got into the ground despite the FAI’s decision not to bring an away allocation. They were all stood hands in pockets in a stairway.

This odd, almost haunted mood was heightened further by Ireland’s mannered approach to the pre-match rituals. Irish staff faced away from the pitch when their national anthem was played. Ireland’s players, all wearing black armbands, stared at the ground during Israel’s. There was no exchanging of pennants and no shaking of hands, with both squads hurried away from the centre circle into their own huddles.

The game had come close to being abandoned on Saturday, when goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu made himself unavailable for selection, his decision prompting emotional exchanges among players and management. Only after four hours of debate did the squad resolve that they should play on, holding a vote with a “significant majority” in favour, according to FAI chief David Courell.

Hallgrimsson therefore picked a team with just one reserve keeper and also dropped key forward Finn Azaz to the bench in one of five changes to the team that lost meekly to Kosovo. Azaz’s mother has Israeli citizenship and the Southampton forward was reported to have made an impassioned contribution to Saturday’s discussion. It had been, Hallgrimsson said, “one of the most challenging weeks for me as a coach”.

After all the soul-searching, however, Ireland decided the contest in just 11 first-half minutes. Troy Parrott opened the scoring in the 14th minute, turning home a low shot through the body of Daniel Peretz after impressive work on the right by wing-back James Abankwah. Two minutes later and the lead was doubled when, running on the shoulder of the last defender, Adam Idah collected a smart through ball from Jack Moylan and wrapped a calm finish inside Peretz’s left-hand post.

In the 25th minute Moylan got a goal of his own, his fourth in as many caps to continue a stellar start to his international career. As Israel failed to clear a Caoimhín Kelleher kick, the Cardiff City midfielder seized on the loose ball and drove 25 yards into the box before shooting low into the net. Moylan wheeled away to the corner flag, took off his black armband and waved it at the Israeli support before kissing it.

Israel made zero impact on the match in the first half, but came out at a higher tempo in the second. An attacking shift by coach Ran Ben Simon saw Dor Peretz come on at the interval into midfield and he almost immediately made his mark with a strong hit from the edge of the box that drew the very best from Kelleher, the Brentford man springing to his right to poke Peretz’s effort behind. Shortly afterwards Kelleher repeated the same action, albeit with less intensity, as he dealt with a long-range shot from a third Peretz, Eliel. A 10-minute passage of pressure was all they were able to muster, however, and Idah almost made it 4-0 at the end of it, but the Swansea striker put his header on to the roof of the net.

The final stages of the match dissolved into infrequent scrapping with increasing noise from the Israeli fans, including what sounded like chanting for the IDF. This was not a match that will linger long in the memory, and the noise that surrounded it has left a bad taste in the mouth.