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Republic of Ireland U21s v Israel, play-off second leg: All you need to know

Updated / Monday, 26 Sep 2022 14:42
Captain Conor Coventry and co made their way to Israel on Sunday
Captain Conor Coventry and co made their way to Israel on Sunday

Tuesday, 27 September

EUROPEAN U-21 CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY-OFF SECOND LEG

Israel v Republic of Ireland, Tel Aviv, 6.15pm

TV

Watch the match live on the RTÉ Player with commentary from George Hamilton and Alan Cawley.

ONLINE

Live match tracker on rte.ie/sport, the RTÉ News app, as well as updates and goals on RTÉ Soccer Twitter and RTÉ Sport Facebook.

WEATHER

On Tuesday in Tel Aviv, it will be pleasant with plenty of sunshine and a high of 31 degrees Celsius.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS AFTER TIGHT TALLAGHT TEST

Ireland head coach Jim Crawford's frustration was palpable after his side and Israel fought out a 1-1 draw in Friday's first leg of the historic European Under-21 Championship play-off.

The game itself was evenly contested but the Boys in Green fashioned the more promising moments on home soil and the goal they conceded from the set-piece was quite soft and eminently avoidable.

UEFA's own statistics suggest that Ireland had four clear chances to none for Israel, even if the attempts on and off target were a bit closer.

Hence why it was no surprise when Crawford's first words to RTÉ Sport at full-time were that he was "definitely disappointed" not to have come away with a first-leg advantage.

"I felt we were the better team, I felt we created the better chances," he said.

That frustration should give way to quiet optimism now the dust has settled. Yes, Israel are a good side, have drafted in Celtic's Liel Abada from the seniors for this game and will have home advantage on Tuesday evening but the manner in which Ireland clawed back the deficit in Tallaght, via the head of the prodigious Evan Ferguson, bodes well if the squad can perform close to its best.

This Ireland outfit has already shown a propensity to rise to the occasion on the road during the campaign. That was proven in March when they travelled to Sweden and came away with a 2-0 win which was ultimately crucial in securing the second place play-off spot behind Italy in the group phase.

That was a game in which they had to ride some luck - one penalty shout for the Swedes springing to mind - and required incision to strike when it mattered. A similar template in Tel Aviv could well be enough, especially if players who were a little under-par on Friday like Will Smallbone and the admittedly out-of-position Tyreik Wright are back to their best.

CONNOLLY RISK PAYS OFF

A repeat performance from Aaron Connolly won't do any harm either. As highlighted pre-game, the Venezia loanee's inclusion in the squad carried an element of risk given how the 22-year-old's career trajectory has panned out over the last three years by his own admission.

Aaron Connolly, goalkeeper Brian Maher and right-back Lee O'Connor at Dublin Airport on Sunday

But the talent is obvious and on Friday he repaid Crawford's faith with a performance that only lacked a goal.

He came close to finding the net on a few occasions and his run in behind also led to the red card for Israel defender Stav Lemkin, mere inches from yielding the added bonus of a penalty.

With the formation tweaked to a back three with Tyreik Wright shifted back to a wing-back role, it allowed Connolly to play close to front man Evan Ferguson, allowing for a combination from the Brighton training ground to settle into the game.

They weren't on the same wavelength every single time during the course of the game but certainly Ferguson felt they dovetailed well: "I feel like we have got the relationship from training in the past, so it is good to play with him.

"I would have been in training with him before so I know the areas he likes to be in and the areas he likes to go into."

While Connolly's long-term sights are set towards a return to the senior squad, his hunger to make that a reality coupled with the shorter-term goal of helping to deliver a first ever European Under-21 Championship appearance for Ireland gives the Galwegian plenty of incentive to take centre stage once again on Tuesday.

Follow Israel v Republic of Ireland in the UEFA Under-21 European Championship second-leg play-off this Tuesday (KO 6.15pm) via our liveblog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app, or watch live on the RTÉ Player (Island of Ireland).

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