Jake O’Brien and Seamus Coleman were in action for the Republic of Ireland last night as they defeated Armenia 1-0.
Ireland’s World Cup dream is still alive as they moved up to third in Group F ahead of the final two games next month.
Jake O’Brien played the full 90 minutes on the right of a back three, whilst Seamus Coleman played just over an hour at right wing-back.
With that said, here’s what Ireland’s national media had to say about their performances for The Boys in Green.
Republic of Ireland defender Seamus Coleman.
Photo By Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images
O’Brien helped Ireland to a clean sheet at the Aviva Stadium, and here’s what the media had to say about the Everton defender.
Balls.ie said.
6/10 – “Had an early chance to put Ireland ahead with a header from a corner, but couldn’t turn the ball towards goal. The Everton man looked the most assured of the Irish defenders in possession in the first half.”
The Irish Examiner added.
6/10 – “Misjudged an early header at the near post from Will Smallbone’s corner and ceded long throw responsibility to Festy Ebosele. Defended well without being given too much cause to panic. Shown a late yellow card.”
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RTE.ie commented.
6/10 – “Started on the right of the back three in Lisbon and enjoyed the same role tonight. Had a decent chance to open his international account after leaping like a salmon out of water to meet Will Smallbone’s early corner, but got his angles all wrong. Very unfortunate to go into the referee’s book late on, but thankfully wasn’t one of those on the edge of suspension.”
Ireland’s national outlets gave Coleman a similar rating to O’Brien as he picked up his whopping 75th cap.
Balls.ie said.
6/10 – “Starting consecutive competitive international games for the first time in almost four years, Seamus Coleman looked assured at the back right from the outset. A solid performance during his 64 minutes on the pitch.”
The Irish Examiner gave their verdict.
6/10 – “Left bloodied inside two minutes by the carelessly high boot of Zhirayr Shaghoyan and booked for a needless charge on Henri Avagyan, designed to bring their tepid performance to life. Full of effort again but, unsurprisingly, looked tired when coming off not long after an hour.”
RTE.ie commented.
7/10 – “The former team skipper started consecutive competitive international games for the first time since 2021 to win his 75th cap. Two sliding challenges in the opening minute had the crowd, still slowly filing in, showing their appreciation. Zhirayr Shaghoyan’s high boot resulted in a bloody nose shortly after, where strong tackles from anyone in green were marked absent in a sobering first half. Upped the tempo after the break, with Hallgrimsson explaining post-match the decision to replace the Everton man was down to his yellow card.”