Kazakhstan 0-1 Rep of Ireland
The Republic of Ireland under-21s left it late but scrambled the win they needed to keep their slim Euro 2027 qualification hopes alive heading into the business end of this campaign.
Oisin Gallagher - on his first Under-21 start - powered home an 89th minute header to make the 6,600km trip to Kazakhstan, across five time zones, worth it in the end.
The victory moves Ireland within five points of second-placed Slovakia with three games to go, and they face the Slovaks away in a pivotal play-off clash in their next game in late September.
But Jim Crawford's side still have no margin for error and will have to win that clash, before looking for a repeat victory over Kazakhstan in Dublin four days later before hosting group favourites England in their final game in early October.
Crawford had targeted six points in this two-game window but Thursday's deflating 1-1 home draw with Moldova scuppered that plan and the young Boys in Green knew nothing but a win over bottom-of-the-table Kazakhstan would do.
This scrappy game never ignited and Ireland were staring another disappointing result in the face until Gallagher climbed high to bury a deep Sam Curtis cross low into the net at the death.
Qualification remains a tall order, but Ireland at least have a fighting chance after finding a way to win.
Kazakhstan were always happy to sit in and play on the counter, forcing Ireland to take the initiative and find the key to unlock a stubborn home side. But for all their possession, Ireland lacked pace to their play and were too predictable in their approach for long spells.
They weren’t helped by the stop-start nature of a bitty game, but were still unable to shift their hosts sufficiently to open up the space they craved, even if Jaden Umeh carried a threat down the left side of Ireland’s attack.
The Benfica youngster attempted an audacious first-half scissors kick at the back post but his connection wasn’t clean and the effort went wide. Umeh then had a ball punched off his head by goalkeeper Miras Rikhard when attempting to latch onto David Okagbue’s ball back into the area, off an Irish corner.
Kazakhstan threatened before the break when Tamerlan Agimanov forced a good save from Noah Jauny when he drilled a low ball across the face of goal, but the hosts rarely looked like scoring throughout.
Ireland finished strongly and substitutes Sean Patton and Trent Kone-Doherty made positive impacts, refusing to believe this was a lost cause. Kone-Doherty, the former Liverpool player now with Norwegian side Molde, duly set the wheels in motion for the winner.
He fizzed a ball out to the right and after Curtis skipped past a lunging tackle on the touchline, he sent a high cross into the box that Gallagher arrived late to meet to keep qualification hopes alive for a little longer.
Republic of Ireland: Noah Jauny; Sam Curtis, Cathal McCarthy, David Okagbue, Conor McManus (Alex Murphy, 82); Romeo Akachukwu (Daris Lipsiuc, 82), Oisin Gallagher, Jamie Mullins; Aaron Ochoa-Moloney (Jack Moorhouse, 66), Tommy Lonergan (Sean Patton, 66), Jaden Umeh (Trent Kone-Doherty, 75). Subs not used: Aaron Maguire, Michael Noonan, Leon Ayinde, Cory O’Sullivan.
Kazakhstan: Miras Rikhard; Zhassulan Amir, Salamat Zhumabekov, Ali Turganov, Ramazan Karimov; Olzhas Baibek (Miras Omatay, 62), Abinur Nurymbet, Zhansultan Mukhametkhanov (Ayan Baidavletov, 62); Saif Popov (Gleb Valgushev 68), Ramazan Bagdat (Magzhan Toktybay, 62), Tamerlan Agimanov (Yan Trufanov, 77). Subs not used: Dulat Talyspayev,, Temirlan Murzagaliyev, Nikita Gubarev, Vyacheslav Raskatov.Referee: K Koppel (Estonia)
