Martin O’Neill’s men kicked their World Cup qualifying campaign off with a point.
Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill
David Meyler and Darren Randolph have both taken to Twitter in the wake of the Republic of Ireland’s draw with Serbia in their opening World Cup qualifier, praising the fans as well as both goalscorers.
Martin O’Neill’s men began their Group D campaign with arguably one of their most challenging fixtures in what promises to be a tough, but open, group.
Ireland celebrate Hendrick’s opener
And they got off to a flyer as Jeff Hendrick – who recently left Derby to join Premier League newbies Burnley – found the back of the net with a deflected effort after just three minutes.
However, the game turned on its head shortly after the hour mark as Filip Kostic and Southampton’s Dusan Tadic put the home side in front with little over 20 minutes to go.
Murphy bagged the late equaliser
But Ireland made sure that the points would be shared as they equalised through another man who moved clubs during the final days of the summer window.
Daryl Murphy – who joined Newcastle United from Ipswich Town – had previously earned 23 caps without scoring, but he finally got off the mark with nine minutes to go to ensure that O’Neill’s side began with a draw.
Republic of Ireland’s Darren Randolph had a good game
And following the game, West Ham goalkeeper Randolph – who put in a good display to keep Ireland in the contest at times – and unused substitute Meyler both commented on the draw.
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