Reporting from the Aviva Stadium.
Not even the strangest of friendly games, marked by not one but two red cards, will be enough to take the conversation away from the FAI this week as decisions taken fulfil fixtures against Israel this Autumn re-enter the news cycle.
While the game was set to serve as an ugly reminder of the country’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, it instead kept the elephant in the room of the controversial Nations League fixtures at the forefront of debate as protests descended upon Lansdowne.
On the pitch, Ireland went strong, giving the Aviva a chance to worship new and old heroes such as Troy Parrott and Seamus Coleman and an opportunity for the likes of Jack Moylan to make a claim for a starting spot in the team going forward (more on that later).
It was the Lincoln City man who started the game brightest. Not originally included in this camp, but the Qatari’s struggled with his energy early on as he won a free kick in the fifth minute before finding Nathan Collin’s free in the box to nod Ireland ahead.
Five minutes later, an event that the game will be remembered for occurred when fans threw tennis balls onto the pitch in protests over the FAI’s decision to not stage a boycott of Ireland’s Nations League fixture with Israel in October.
The scene would be repeated on the 20th minute, with the balls featuring messages of ‘Stop the Game’ as some sections of fans chanted ‘Free Palestine’.
The protest comes just after Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson spoke out against a protest and urged the fans to focus on football matters in Wednesday’s press conference
It was already a big week regarding the matter, as The 42 revealed on Wednesday that the FAI is set to face opposition from its own members regarding the fulfilment of October’s fixture.
Following the 2nd resumption of play, a Jayson Molumby effort outside the box briefly threatened to remind us of how close he came in Prague – it would, however, only result in an easy save for the opposition goalkeeper.
The Qataris would have little to celebrate in the half other than a few sighted efforts, Akram Afif being marshalled well by Ireland’s three centre backs.
Just before the half-time whistle, fans bore witness to the rare sight of a red card in a friendly match, one awarded to Jack Moylan who was deemed to have caught Jassem Gaber highly.
The Northsider left the pitch with his hands in his arms, not a way he would have liked to mark his Aviva international debut, and in truth, a decision that likely would have been overturned if VAR was present.
Ireland made only one change at the interval, with Dara O’Shea making way for James Abankwah, as Heimir’s side adopted a more familiar defensive approach for the 2nd half.
A Molumby mistake in possession 53 minutes in gave Qatar a glimmer of a chance, but Al-Duhail midfielder Edmilson Junior could only add to his side’s rising number of poor attempts on goal.
It looked like Qatar needed all the help they could get if they were to score, and they almost got it on 70 minutes when Yusuf Abdurisag’s shot was deflected by Nathan Collins, leaving Caoimhín Kelleher to react quickly and paw the ball away for a corner.
The biggest reception of the half came for Corie Ndaba and Jaden Umeh, coming on to make their debuts with 25 minutes of the game left to play. The latter wasted no time to get the crowd off their feet with some tidy dribbling near the Qatar goal.
Just as Qatar were finishing their final bout of changes, Jayson Molumby – who is quickly becoming one of Heimir’s most trusted lieutenants – would show off the dark arts Ireland have become so accustomed to throughout World Cup qualifying,
The Waterford man successfully baited Almoez Ali into an altercation, leading to the second red card of the game, this time shown to the Qatari attacker.
With nearly five minutes of normal time remaining, Seamus Coleman – looking eternal as ever – earned a free kick at the edge of the box as he drove towards goal.
James Abankwah eyes lit up at the chance of scoring his first international goal as the ball flashed tantalisingly across the box, but the defender failed to make any contact.
Fans wishing to see Mason Melia capped were granted their wish on the 90th minute as he replaced Troy Parrott. Brann, McGinty, Hodge, Brennan and Murphy will have to wait another day to make theirs.
It’s certainly not a game that will be remembered for any outstanding spectacle, but instead one that will only serve to increase pressure on the FAI to reverse course on their decision not to boycott Israel fixtures, with the first now 122 days away.
The positive being the glimpse we got into the future, with three international debuts handed out to Jaden Umeh, Mason Melia and Corrie Ndaba respectively.
And if the reaction to Umeh’s electrifying pace is anything to go by, it won’t take too long for this crop to find a way into the heart of those who follow the Irish team.
Ireland travel to Canada next week where it is expected that they will play a more experimental lineup.
Ireland
Kelleher, Coleman, Scale (Ndaba 75’), O’Shea (Abankwah 45’), Collins, O’Brien, Molumby, McGrath, Moylan Ogbene (Umeh 75’), Parrott (89’ Melia)
Qatar
Abunada, Miguel, Laye (Mendes 79’), Gaber (Madibo 58’), Edmilson Junior (Alaaeldin 58’), Afif, Al-Oui (Al-Ali 79’), Elamin (Al-Hussain 79’), Abdurisag (Jamshid 79’), Khoukhi (Ali 59’), Fathi (Al-Mannai 58’/ Al Haidos 86’)
Attendance: 28,981
Ireland Radar 