In the subdued setting of Debrecen’s Nagyerdei Stadium, Ireland turned a fraught Nations League evening into a decisive 3-0 victory over Israel, settling the contest inside 25 minutes while making their position on the war in Gaza visible before kick-off.
Every Irish player wore a black armband on the right arm in remembrance of those killed in Gaza. During the Israeli anthem, the visiting side stood with heads lowered. The captains did not shake hands in the pre-match formalities, adding to the tension around a fixture played before a largely empty stadium in Hungary.
Ireland settle the match early
- At 13 minutes and five seconds, Troy Parrott put Ireland ahead. The Betis forward finished simply with his right foot from inside the penalty area.
- Two minutes later, Adam Idah doubled the lead after Jack Moylan released him with a well-timed pass into space. Idah struck firmly with his right foot.
- Moylan then completed the scoring in the 25th minute, carrying the ball beyond several Israeli defenders before applying the finish himself.
Heimir Hallgrimsson’s team were clearly the stronger side throughout the opening spell and Israel never recovered from the three-goal deficit. Caoimhin Kelleher produced an outstanding save to deny Israel’s best opportunity, while occasional confrontations between players reflected the edge surrounding the match. Officials and teammates prevented those incidents from escalating.
Idah was subjected to racist abuse from a section of Israel’s support during the game.
A match Ireland considered not playing
The fixture had remained uncertain until the day before it was played. Ireland’s squad discussed whether to boycott Israel entirely, with Hallgrimsson explaining that a substantial majority of his players voted at the team hotel to fulfil the match. Some members of the group nevertheless had reservations.
Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu declined to take part. In a social-media statement, he said his decision came solely from his personal conviction that the killing of innocent people is wrong. Bazunu also said he would not play in the return meeting between the countries on 4 October.
That second fixture will be staged behind closed doors in Serbia. The Football Association of Ireland decided in July to move both matches to neutral venues rather than withdraw from them altogether.
Hallgrimsson had said before the match that nobody in the squad felt comfortable about playing under the circumstances, but that the group was trying to deal with the situation as best it could. He stressed that participating did not mean the players accepted or endorsed what was happening in Gaza.
With Bazunu absent, defender Jimmy Dunne was named as Ireland’s emergency substitute goalkeeper in Debrecen.
Group B3 takes shape
The result gave Ireland their first three points in Nations League B Group 3 after they had opened with a 1-0 defeat to Kosovo. Israel remain without a point following their earlier 3-1 loss to Austria.
Austria lead the four-team section after beating Kosovo 3-1 on the same day.
