Republic of Ireland 1-1 Georgia
Georgia struck an equaliser one minute from full-time at Tallaght Stadium on Friday night to deny the Republic of Ireland Under-21s their first win of the UEFA Championship qualifying campaign.
Blackburn Rovers midfielder Alan Judge, currently on loan at Plymouth Argyle, gave Ireland the opening goal on 28 minutes and they had chances to extend that advantage either side of the break.
However, just as the Irish seemed on course for the three points in their third game of the qualifying campaign, Giorgi Ivanishvili pounced to snatch a draw for the visitors.
Winger Keith Treacy was the source of most Irish attacks in the first half and the Dubliner could have gotten on the scoresheet as early as the third minute when he darted in from the flank and had his shot diverted over the crossbar by goalkeeper Roini Kvaskhvadze had to boot over his crossbar.
The Blackburn Rovers man, who is also out on loan with Sheffield United, conjured another effort on nine minutes that the ‘keeper had to produce a wonderful save to keep out.
Treacy would not be denied in creating Irelands goal, though, on 28 minutes after he playing in Judge at the back post to convert.
Judge could have doubled the advantage within a minute only for his shot from Cillian Sheridans low centre to veer over.
It proved a lively few minutes for the Plymouth players as he got into another decent scoring chance following a cross by Treacy and this time the upright prevented him from grabbing the second goal.
It was all Ireland again during the early stages of the first half and Treacy seemed poised to set up another goal when he burst through on 48 minutes. However, instead of supplying a cross for Sheridan to tap in, the flanker decided to shoot and the ball cleared the crossbar.
Shane Redmond, in the Irish goal, foiled Gerogias Lasha Totadze on 53 minutes in a rare foray by the visitors and Judge sliced another shot wide 12 minutes form time.
Then, in the 89th minute, Ivanishvili did the damage for Georgia by powering home an equaliser through a low shot past Redmond from 20 yards.
Republic of Ireland: Shane Redmond (Burton Albion); Seamus Coleman (Everton), Brendan Moloney (Notts County), Callum Morris (Newcastle United), Gavin Gunning (Blackburn Rovers); Stephen Gleeson (MK Dons), Owen Garvan (Ipswich Town), James McCarthy (Wigan Athletic); Alan Judge (Plymouth Argyle), Cillian Sheridan (Plymouth Argyle), Keith Treacy (Sheffield United).
Substitutions: Jay O Shea (Birmingham City) for Treacy (80 mins), Cian Hughton (Lincoln City) for Coleman (86 mins), James Collins (Aston Villa) for McCarthy (90 mins).
Georgia: Kvaskhvadze; Tomashvili, Totadze, Khidesheli, Kakubava, Daushvili, Klimiashvili, Kenia, Gugava, Ivanishvili, Vatsadze.
Subs: Kutalia for Gugava (61 mins); Janelidze for Vatsadze (72 mins); Tchedia for Tomashvili (87 mins).
Referee: G Saloukas (Greece). |
