Match Centre: Republic of Ireland 0-2 England
- S. Szmodics (44′)
- J. Molumby (64′)
- R. Brady (68′)
- J. O'Brien (76′)
- D. Rice (11′)
- J. Grealish (26′)
- K. Mainoo (13′)
- L. Colwill (76′)
The Three Lions get their UEFA Nations League campaign off to a winning start in Dublin
Highlights: Republic of Ireland 0-2 England
Watch the best of the action from the Aviva Stadium as the Three Lions kick-off 2024-25 with a win
Republic of Ireland v England
UEFA Nations League
League B, Group 2 fixture
5pm BST, Saturday 7 September 2024
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
England men's interim head coach Lee Carsley and captain Harry Kane faced the press on Friday evening ahead of Saturday's Nations League opener against Republic of Ireland in Dublin.
Carsley discussed his first week coaching the squad, while Kane spoke about the Three Lions' desire to build on their run to the final of EURO 2024.
Here's what they had to say in full.
Carsley on the atmosphere he expects at the Aviva Stadium…
"It feels good to be in Ireland. We got a great reception here and you can tell there's a good atmosphere in terms of anticipation for the game. We expect it to be passionate and loud, but it will be an atmosphere the players are used to. We're really looking forward to it."
On what he expects from his team…
"We've spoken quite a bit about performing. If you focus too much on results you can get carried away so we want to outperform our opposition. We've spoken a lot about control. We've had three days training and the players have been so receptive. We've done a lot of work on and off the pitch so we're in a good space. I'm really impressed by the players. To work with them up close has shown me they're top people who want to do really well."
On what he expects from Ireland…
"We're not totally sure because they have a new manager. We've watched some of his previous teams to give us an idea. They will be well organised and we expect it to be energetic. They've got some good players and they'll be highly motivated."
On what he has managed in one week of training…
"I think we've had long enough, We've tried to get three or four different ways of playing. I want to play to the players' strengths. It's not a case of my style, the key is to utilise the players' ability and the profiles they've got."
On whether this is a fresh start for England…
"I definitely don't see this as a fresh start. This is a team coming off the back of a tournament that in my opinion was successful. This is a chance to build on what they've done in the past. I believe we're in a really strong position. When Gareth took over before they were in a lower position but now it's totally different. The standards are so high and now we want to create that legacy. They're so close and hopefully they can go one step further soon."
Arrived at our destination. 📍🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/WHgefex4Ou
— England (@England) September 6, 2024
Kane on the first camp without Gareth Southgate in charge…
"Gareth was a big part of my career. It was a bit strange when we first came in but the boss has been great with some fresh ideas and he wants to implement that. It's been good. There are a lot of young faces who are really excited to be here and express themselves so from my point of view it's another exciting chapter in my England career."
On how he reflects on EURO 2024…
"We did extremely well to get to the final. It wasn't an easy tournament and we didn't reach the levels in some games that we can but the positive was we made it to the final. Before you know it we're back. We don't fully get over it but we move on and we try and work on the areas we can improve. We can take a lot of positives from the last few years. Our task now is to try and get better and these games in the next few camps are a great opportunity. I have a real fire in my belly to get there again and try and create a different outcome. To get to two finals in four years means you're doing a lot right."
On the young players in the squad…
"It's great for the experienced players as well. I've been playing for nine years for England and I still remember my first camp, the excitement, the nerves. It's great to see that on their faces and to see them train with that freedom. That's what you want as an international. You want competition and you want to see the best players pushing you so from my point of view I need to help them settle in. We have that environment here anyway and I hope they feel that. Everyone's excited to get on the pitch and play the game."
Republic of Ireland in profile
Nickname: The Boys In Green
Coach: Heimir Hallgrímsson
Captain: Seamus Coleman
UEFA EURO best performance: Fifth place 1988
Match Stats
● Republic of Ireland are set to host England for the first time since a goalless draw in a friendly in June 2015. In a competitive match, it’s the first time since a November 1990 European Championship qualifier, drawn 1-1 with Tony Cascarino cancelling out David Platt’s opener for England.
● England won their last meeting with the Republic of Ireland in November 2020 – they haven’t won consecutive games against them since doing so with wins in 1980 and 1985.
● This is England’s first game without Gareth Southgate in charge since a 1-0 win over Slovakia in September 2016 in Sam Allardyce’s only match in charge. Including caretakers, only four managers have lost their first game in charge of the Three Lions: Alf Ramsey (2-5 vs France in 1963), Howard Wilkinson (0-2 vs France in 1999), Peter Taylor (0-1 vs Italy in 2000) and Stuart Pearce (2-3 vs Netherlands in 2012).
● Republic of Ireland didn’t win any of their first 12 matches in the UEFA Nations League (D5 L7) but won two of their last four in 2022 (D1 L1), beating Scotland and Armenia.
● England have shipped the opening goal in each of their last four matches, all in the knockout stages of EURO 2024 (W2 D1 L1). They haven’t conceded the opener in five games in a row since between November 1953 and June 1954.
● England have scored just 13 goals in eleven games in 2024, having netted 26 in ten games in 2023. Their 2024 average of 1.2 goals per game is their lowest in a year since 2000 (exactly one per game eleven goals in eleven games).
● Heimir Hallgrímsson will take charge of the Republic of Ireland for the first time in this match. He was in joint charge of Iceland when they knocked England out of EURO 2016 with a 2-1 win; the only manager to defeat England with two different nations is Bora Milutinovic, in 1985 with Mexico and 1993 with the USA.
● Cole Palmer has a goal and an assist in his last two England appearances (assist vs Netherlands, goal vs Spain), coming off the bench in each game. The last Chelsea player to net in consecutive England matches was Frank Lampard between September 2012 and May 2013 (five in a row), with the last game in that run coming against the Republic of Ireland.
Last time out: England 3-0 Republic of Ireland
See the best of the action from our most recent game with Ireland at Wembley in 2020
Head to head
The Three Lions have played Republic of Ireland at men's senior level on 17 occasions, registering six wins, drawing nine and losing twice.
Last three meetings v Republic of Ireland
England 3-0 Republic of Ireland, International Match, 12 November 2020
The Three Lions ran out as convincing winners last time out as international football re-started following the COVID-19 pandemic. Goals from Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and Dominic Calvert-Lewin sealed victory on this occasion in a game which saw Jude Bellingham make his senior debut at the age of 17 years and 136 days.
Republic of Ireland 0-0 England, International Match, 7 June 2015
A first-ever trip to the new Aviva Stadium in Dublin ended in a goal-less draw as both teams played in a friendly in the midst of their EURO 2016 qualifying campaign.
England 1-1 Republic of Ireland, International Match, 29 May 2013
A match which was hosted at Wembley as part of the FA's 150th anniversary celebrations turned out to be a competitive affair, with Shane Long's opening goal cancelled out by Frank Lampard.
From the archive: England 1-1 Republic of Ireland
Watch the 2013 match via our 'Pitchcam' coverage from Wembley
England Squad News
The squad for this game was named on Thursday 29 August. See the squad announcement here.
Ticket Information
How to watch or stream
UEFA Nations League games will be shown live in the UK on Channel Four.
Lee Carsley has named his England XI to take on Republic of Ireland in Dublin this afternoon.
Carsley's first selection as interim head coach features six players who started the EURO 2024 final in July, while Harry Maguire is among the other players in the side after missing out on the tournament with injury.
England: 1 Jordan Pickford, 2 Trent Alexander-Arnold, 4 Declan Rice, 6 Harry Maguire, 7 Bukayo Saka, 9 Harry Kane (C), 10 Jack Grealish, 11 Anthony Gordon, 15 Levi Colwill, 16 Marc Guéhi, 18 Kobbie Mainoo
Substitutes: 3 Rico Lewis, 5 John Stones, 8 Conor Gallagher, 12 Tino Livramento, 13 Dean Henderson, 14 Ezri Konsa, 17 Morgan Gibbs-White, 19 Angel Gomes, 20 Jarrod Bowen, 21 Eberechi Eze, 22 Nick Pope, 23 Noni Madueke
Carsley is in interim charge following the departure of Gareth Southgate after EURO 2024, and his team were excellent in securing their first win in Dublin for 60 years.
Rice made the breakthrough in the eleventh minute with a rasping shot into the top corner from 12 yards, while Grealish found the net with first-time finish from Rice’s cross shortly after.
The result marks a perfect start to England’s Nations League campaign, as they bid to win Group B2 and earn promotion back to League A at the first time of asking following relegation last year.
With two new head coaches in charge - Heimir Hallgrimsson also leading Ireland for the first time – there was a new-beginnings feel to this match.
Ireland started the quicker and should have taken the lead in the third minute when Robbie Brady’s whipped in-swinging corner found Jayson Molumby towards the back post, but he blazed a free header over the top from six yards out.
After settling into the match, England soon had their first chance as Trent Alexander-Arnold crossed perfectly for Harry Kane, who flashed a header inches over the bar from the middle of the box.
Ireland then had the next shot at goal as Sammie Szmodics cut in from the left-hand side and fired a right-footed shot that required Jordan Pickford to dive low and palm it away.
The open start to the match only encouraged a vocal home crowd - but they were soon silenced as England took the lead.
Gordon made a run beyond the Ireland defence and Alexander-Arnold found him with a perfect pass, putting the Newcastle winger through on goal.
That took the heat out of the game and, as the tempo slowed, England found a rhythm and started to dominate possession. Midway through the first half, they doubled their lead by cutting Ireland open and scoring a sensational goal that proved decisive.
Rice combined with Alexander-Arnold down the right, with a series of one-touch passes, before the Arsenal midfielder ran to the by-line and cut the ball back into the penalty box for Grealish to place a low shot into the bottom corner.
England created further chances in an excellent first half. Kane thought he should have been awarded a penalty when he was caught by Nathan Collins, while Gordon’s follow-up shot was deflected into Kelleher’s arms.
In the second half, England again dominated the ball but Ireland remained lively on the counter-attack and created their best chance in the 58th minute, when Chiedozie Ogbene picked out Szmodics in the box and he curled a shot narrowly wide.
At the other end, England continued to press high up the pitch and Gordon forced Kelleher into a low save after Rice had won the ball 30 yards from goal. Carsley made his first changes 15 minutes from time, handing debuts to midfielders Morgan Gibbs-White and Angel Gomes, and his team maintained control to the end.
Kelleher made two excellent saves to prevent a third goal in stoppage time, first by blocking a close-range Jarrod Bowen shot, before then diving to his right to stop a curling Bukayo Saka effort.
Substitutes: 17 Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest) for Grealish 76’, 19 Angel Gomes (Lille) for Mainoo 77’, 21 Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace) for Gordon 77’, 20 Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United) for Kane ’85, 5 John Stones (Manchester City) for Maguire 85’
Subs not used: 3 Rico Lewis (Manchester City), 8 Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), 12 Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), 13 Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), 14 Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), 22 Nick Pope (Newcastle United), 23 Noni Madueke (Chelsea).
Goals: Rice 11’, Grealish 26’
Yellow Cards: Mainoo 13’, Colwill 76’
Interim head coach: Lee Carsley
Republic of Ireland: 1 Caoimhim Kelleher, 2 Seamus Coleman (c), 4 Dara O’Shea, 22 Nathan Collins, 11 Robbie Brady, 21 Sammie Szmodics, 8 Will Smallbone, 14 Jayson Molumby, 7 Matt Doherty, 10 Adam Idah, 20 Chiedozie Ogbene
Substitutes: 12 Jake O’Brien for Coleman 57’, 17 Jason Knight for Doherty 58’, 6 Alan Browne for Smallbone 75’, 13 Kasey McAteer for Idah 76’, 9 Evan Ferguson for Brady 82’
Subs not used: 3 Callum O’Dowda, 5 Andrew Omobamidele, 15 Liam Scales, 16 Max O’Leary, 18 Callum Robinson, 19 Troy Parrott, 23 Mark Travers
Yellow Cards: Szmodics 44’, Molumby 64’, Brady 68’, O’Brien 76’
Coach: Heimir Hallgrimsson
