“They scored from a position that is not even a half chance.”
Stephen Kenny gave his verdict following the Republic of Ireland’s defeat to Armenia at the National Stadium in Yerevan on Saturday afternoon.
The defeat was Ireland’s 11th match in the Nations League since the competition began in 2018, in which the Boys in Green have never won a game.
Stephen Kenny reflects on the defeat.
Kenny was critical of Ireland’s ability to create clear-cut chances, despite having 13 shots throughout the Nations League opener.
The 50-year-old claimed the Boys in Green did not deserve to lose against Armenia based “on the balance of play,” where Ireland had 68 per cent possession.
“We didn’t unlock the door more and create more clearcut chances,” Kenny told reporters in the post-match press conference in Yerevan.
“It was a tight game really overall, not a game that we deserved to lose on the balance of play and chances but we’ve lost it and only have ourselves to blame.”
Kenny discusses the goal.
Kenny felt Ireland did not start the second half with the same intensity as they ended the first half with, as they were “susceptible to counter attacks.”
The former Dundalk boss labeled Armenia’s 74th-minute goal as “not even a half chance,” as the Boys in Green got punished.
“We are disappointed. I felt in the last 20-25 minutes of the first half we were really in control but we didn’t start the second half like that at all. We were susceptible to counter attacks, and found it difficult to break them down,” Kenny added.
“We had most of the chances in the game but just couldn’t make it work. They scored from a position that is not even a half chance, we’ve got punished.”
Some ping to be fairpic.twitter.com/bTOUPLKFVd
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 4, 2022
Kenny’s side play Ukraine in the second game of their Nations League campaign on Wednesday, with a 7:45 pm kick-off at the Aviva Stadium.
Related links:
- Richard Dunne criticises Ireland performance in defeat to Armenia.
- Ireland v Armenia: Player ratings as Stephen Kenny’s team lose 1-0 in Nations League game.
- Tottenham make decision on Troy Parrott’s future ahead of next season.
