Ireland 1 New Zealand 1
Gavin Cummiskey’s match report.
Malachy Clerkin’s player ratings.
That’s all from me, good night!
James McClean: “The support has been phenomenal, it’s just a shame I couldn’t end on a win. I enjoyed the night for what it was, I’ve a few special memories.
“It’s over, I think it’s the right time. People have been saying I would be emotional. So much has happened, there’s no need to cry. I’ve no regrets, I’ve had the time of my life.
Stephen Kenny: “We didn’t play well in the second half. We played players that are in and out of their club teams. Some players made their debuts tonight. We made nine changes, we wanted to give everyone an opportunity, it wasn’t about getting over the line with a win. It was a strange game to say the least, we missed a few good chances but could have lost it as well.
“Listen, that’s the way it is, I’ve no complaints. I’ve spoken to the players about that. It may well be my last match, that’s been well documented. It’s been a privilege to manage my country,” he says emotionally. “Nothing could ever match it. Full stadiums at home, big crowds away. Because there’s such a rebuild, it’s been amazing to know, it’s an incredible group of people.
“The may not be the appetite for it [me keeping on]. Sport is ruthless, we’ll have to see of course. I’ve had amazing support from the staff, it’s been an amazing journey, it’s been a great privilege.”
Mikey Johnston is awarded man of the match: “New Zealand are actually a very good side. There’s boys that have come in not playing games, there’s a lot of boys that got opportunities they deserve.”
James McClean gets a guard of honour as he heads into the dressingroom.
92 mins: Tasty ball by Elijah Just forces a heroic defensive header from Manning at the back post. New Zealand going for it. One last header by Bindon goes wide, and that’s that!
Full-time: Ireland 1 New Zealand 1
89 mins: Ferguson appeals for a penalty under pressure from the defender but referee waves it away.
86 mins: Bit better from Ireland as Ferguson takes a good touch and curls into the top corner but well saves. With the goal partly open, Sykes mishits the shot and kills the chance. Duffy wins the header at the corner but heads it wide.
84 mins: Nice piece of skill by Evan Ferguson on the end-line almost leads to an opening. That’s about as good as it’s got in the past 10 minutes.
78 mins: Andrew Moran makes his senior debut then on 78 minutes. Again New Zealand have a chance, Singh plays in Max Mata with a lovely through ball and Travers makes a good save.
75 mins: Another chance for New Zealand, cross by Singh and Max Mata leaps above the back of the defender but can’t direct the header on goal. Not been a great performance by Ireland here in the second half it has to be said. Being dominated by a team outside the top 100 of the world rankings.
73 mins: New Zealand takes a few long shots, one powerful one by Cacace forces a parry from Travers, as Boxall the centre back was up from the previous corner and shoots, scoring in a weird deflection off Duffy but luckily it was offside.
70 mins: The referee gets in Manning’s way as he wanted to hit one from outside the box. That one didn’t go down well with the crowd. Doherty turns sharply at the edge of the box but hits the sidenetting.
65 mins: Disappointing for Ireland, the game is drifting from them a little as New Zealand are in the ascendancy. They need a change. Singh almost scores, good counter, Travers saves and out for a corner.
Here’s a boost though, on comes Evan Ferguson! Also coming on is Ryan Manning. James McClean also off to a standing ovation. Great reception and a fine farewell.
59 mins: GOAL FOR NEW ZEALAND! A familiar story for Ireland, a goal conceded from outside the box. Garbett with the fine shot. Payne had burst through and could have won a penalty, but fell to Garbett and he scored.
57 mins: Johnston dribbling through as usual, plays it across the wing to Sykes who wins a corner. McClean’s corner meets Shane Duffy at the back post but he heads it straight at the keeper. Another attack a minute later leads to a Cullen shot straight at the keeper also.
55 mins: Doherty plays a good ball to Sykes but he can’t create anything. New Zealand counter and win a corner. Josh Cullen on for Jason Knight.
53 mins: Omobamidele gives away the ball in front of his own box and Wood is through but he recovers the ball with his pace. A let-off there though.
Ireland with some risky play in possession but create a chance with Johnston cutting inside and laying off to Molumby who strikes it wide from outside the box.
50 mins: Johnston gets shoulder charged and looked like a foul but referee plays on. New Zealand counter, Singh plays to Garbett who hits over.
The second half begins. Mark Travers is on for Caoimhin Kelleher.
48 mins: Some nice skill by Sykes, drag back and he’s enjoying himself but hacked down by Garbett. Molumby puts in a heavy challenge as well.
45 mins: Spectacular run through the heart of Cacace sets up Singh to shoot into the sidenetting but more good play by New Zealand.
Half-time: Ireland 1 New Zealand 0
Well played by Ireland in the opening stages, fluid football in the 4-3-3 formation. Maybe didn’t see enough of that at times during Kenny’s reign. They deserved the lead through Idah’s goal. Johnston the stand-out in the first half. At the end of the half, New Zealand came back into it though and made a game of it. All to play for in the second half. Here’s the goal again:
42 mins: Ireland under the cosh, nice spell by New Zealand. Singh crosses into dangerous area well headed away by Duffy. Ireland camped in their box for three or four minutes, nice possession play, McCowatt takes a shot from distance but well over.
38 mins: Kelleher called to action. New Zealand are improving and Singh takes a curling shot with his left from outside the box and Kelleher makes a good save.
37 mins: Some play under pressure at the back, calm and composed in tight spaces, then not so much by Knight in midfield who hits a through ball well out of play.
34 mins: Chance for New Zealand, Stamenic with a shot from outside the box which is deflected but goes wide.
28 mins: GOAL FOR IRELAND! Adam Idah with a well-taken goal under no pressure after great play by Sykes to press the defender and nick the ball off him. With the centre back out of the way, it was one-on-one and Idah coolly finished. New Zealand protest the challenge but the referee sees no issue, it’s a goal.
24 mins: More Ireland pressure but New Zealand defending well, a few corners for Ireland, one well taken by Johnston but Doherty handles the ball and it’s a free kick out.
21 mins: Johnston again with a fine flick and dribble, been good interplay but just lacking the final touch.
16 mins: Johnston and McClean’s overlaps have been the main avenue of Ireland attack so far. A nice one-two combo by McGrath and Knight almost sets up a shot. Some nice football here. It leads to Knight playing a lovely ball to Idah in the six-yard box but Doherty gets in the way.
13 mins: Another superb dribble down the middle by Johnston and lays it off but the move falls apart. He’s been electric so far.
9 mins: More good play down the left flank as Johnston causes a few more problems, it falls to McClean whose shot is blocked. The corner by McClean is cleared and then again Ireland put pressure on New Zealand as Samenic clears.
6 mins: Fabulous run by Mikey Johnston as he shimmies past two or three players into the box but then falls over unfortunately but good play.
2 mins: Perhaps confusingly given the teams, it’s Ireland that look like the All Blacks with their dark kit. New Zealand in the white have started brightly.
As the national anthems are played, the Aviva is far from full. Kick-off coming up in a few moments.
Oh no! Heartbreak as Italy pump it forward last kick of the game, falls to Gnonto and a fortunate deflected goal into the net. So deflating after a great Irish performance. Result: Ireland 2-2 Italy.
What drama at Turner’s Cross! Gnonto shoots from outside the box and hits the inside of the post, falls to an Italy player who shoots back into the partly open goal but Keeley saves on the line. It’s stoppage time now, Ireland 2-1 up, four minutes of stoppage time remaining.
Ireland still winning at Turner’s Cross, Emakhu did great and had a good chance to make it 3-1 but a fine save by Desplanches saves the Italians. 79 minutes gone there now.
“Maybe when I retire I will get more recognition for my football ability than I do now,” says James McClean about his retirement from international football after tonight. When giving a reason for Ireland’s disappointing results in European qualifying he said:
“Without getting too much into it, this is probably a domestic thing to be honest. You look at our domestic league compared to theirs, you look at the head start they have from a young age. We don’t have that in this country in a sense. We need more funding.”
The Ireland team to play New Zealand is as follows:
Ireland v New Zealand: Kelleher; Doherty, Duffy (capt), Omobamidele, McClean; Sykes, Molumby, McGrath, Knight, Idah, Johnston
New Zealand team: Crocombe, Boxall, Cacace, Payne, Pijnaker, Bell, Garbett, Stamenic, McCowatt, Singh, Wood (capt)
Another goal for Ireland under 21s! Good ball into the box causes havoc, it comes off the post and Sinclair Armstrong is alert to finish with his knee. Not the prettiest finish but they all count! It’s 2-1 to Ireland.
Ken Early writes that Ireland have been outwitted again and again under Stephen Kenny.
“This is not a story of fine margins. This is six defeats out of six against the three other contender sides in the group. That makes it Ireland’s worst performance in any qualifying campaign since 1962, when they lost four games out of four in a three-team group. Thirty-one qualifying campaigns since then, and this one was the worst.
“The real story of the group is that Ireland have been outwitted again and again, by De Vrij, by Aurélien Tchouaméni, by Koeman, by Gus Poyet, by Petros Mantalas, by Benjamin Pavard.
“In six games against the proper teams, we scored one goal from a corner and one penalty (which we won following a corner). Our opponents have been too clever for us, not the odd time, but every time.”
[ Ireland have been outwitted again and again in Euro qualifying campaignOpens in new window ]
Unfortunately, a goal for Italy at Turner’s Cross. Wilfried Gnonto from a penalty after Lawal handled the ball in the box. 1-1 there at half-time.
Stephen Kenny tunes out the background noise as 41,000 expected at Aviva, writes soccer correspondent Gavin Cummiskey in his preview of tonight’s game.
“Despite the background noise, Kenny lauded the sale of 41,000 tickets for Tuesday night’s game with New Zealand, ranked 103rd in the world, even though the tickets were bundled with the Greece game in October. On Friday the White Caps lost 2-0 in Athens.
“There’s not many countries in Europe getting crowds like that for the lesser nations,” he said. “It’s a credit to the team and a credit to the players.”
“The penultimate press conference began with a jab at unnamed critics, who apparently compared a 1-0 loss to the Dutch with dark nights for Irish football under Mick McCarthy, Steve Staunton and Martin O’Neill.
“It wasn’t like we lost 4-1 to Wales or got hammered in Cyprus or Macedonia the other night, it was a tight game in Holland that we lost 1-0 and deserved to lose. It was one of those games, I think a bit of perspective on that, you know?”
Ireland are playing in the under 21s tonight in Turner’s Cross, a key game for Euro 2025 qualification. Ireland have just gone ahead against Italy! Killian Phillips with the goal after some great play by Sinclair Armstrong. Italy’s first goal conceded in five games. Thirty-three minutes gone there. Ireland are third in the group after losing to Norway on Friday night, but a win would put them back on top of the group.
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the international friendly between Ireland and New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium. Kick-off is at 7.45pm.
More known as a rugby fixture, most famously last month when Ireland were knocked out by the All Blacks, the soccer equivalents have only played each other once, a 3-1 victory for Mick McCarthy’s Ireland in November 2019. Derrick Williams, Sean Maguire and Callum Robinson the scorers. Alan Browne, Josh Cullen and Troy Parrott are the only players who started that day who are still around the squad.
James McClean was an unused substitute in 2019 and he will make his final appearance for Ireland against New Zealand tonight. He has played for his national team 103 times over 12 years, a very credible record and a great servant for Irish football. It is also likely to be Stephen Kenny’s final game as manager, with his contract up as manager, his record of six defeats in Euro 2024 qualifying is unlikely to bring with it a new contract. Next Tuesday the FAI’s director of football, Marc Canham, will present a review on the current campaign to the board of directors. Canham is not expected to recommend a contract extension for Kenny.
