Austria 1-0 Republic of Ireland: 'Painful' defeat for Republic of Ireland in Austria
The Republic of Ireland suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Austria in the Nations League, a result described as 'painful' by manager Heimir Hallgrimsson. The loss confirms Austria's top spot in the group while leaving Ireland to fight for second place in their final match against Kosovo.
Why it matters
This match result dictates the Republic of Ireland's path toward potential promotion and seeding for upcoming European championship qualifiers.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Hallgrimsson's side sit third in Group B3 before their final game
Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson says their 1-0 defeat by Austria in their penultimate Nations League game was "painful".
Substitute Sasa Kalajdzic poked home the winner in Linz, with the narrow victory ensuring Austria claimed top spot and automatic promotion to League A.
Chiedozie Ogbene squandered a late chance to equalise for the Republic and Hallgrimsson was frustrated they left the Raiffeisen Arena empty-handed when they had chances to secure the win which would have kept their hopes of winning the group alive.
"It was painful not to get anything from this match. I think we deserved at least a draw, but we needed the win for this game to count," he told RTE.
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2 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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