Ireland lost 1-0 at home to Iceland on Tuesday night.
Republic of Ireland’s Richard Keogh and Conor Hourihane before the match
Republic of Ireland couldn’t end the international break with a win as they were beaten 1-0 by Iceland at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday evening.
After a 0-0 draw with Wales on Friday, Martin O’Neill’s men were back in action in a friendly againt Iceland, the surprise package of Euro 2016 – and just as they downed England last summer, they picked up a win over Ireland.
Even without star man Gylfi Sigurdsson, Iceland were able to claim the victory as Bristol City’s Hordur Magnusson whipped a superb free kick into the net.
O’Neill handed international debuts to four players, as John Egan and Conor Hourihane started, before Preston duo Andy Boyle and Daryl Horgan came on as second half substitutes.
Hourihane was rewarded for his Aston Villa form with a first Ireland cap, having notched a goal and two assists in his last five Championship outings.
The former Sunderland and Barnsley midfielder is now hoping to establish himself with club and country, with fans taking to Twitter to react to his performance.
Conor Hourihane of Aston Villa celebrates
Unfortunately, Hourihane received criticism for his part in Magnusson’s goal; he appeared to duck in the wall as the shot came in, with Magnusson’s shot subsequently going over Hourihane’s head and into the net.
Aside from that, fans were split on Hourihane; some feel that he isn’t up to international standard, whereas others believe his debut was encouraging, and he showed enough to feature in the future.
What did you think of Hourihane’s display against Iceland?
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