Greece 2-0 Ireland: Same old story as Ireland fall short in Athens

Despite a spirited second-half performance, Ireland just didn't have enough cutting edge to trouble the Greeks.

GREECE lightning struck for the fourth time as Tasos Bakasetas proved the matchwinner on an emotional night for the hosts at the Karaiskakis Stadium.

The hosts recorded a clean sweep against the Boys in Green - back-to-back Nations League wins a year after they defeated Ireland home and away in the Euro 2024 qualifiers - on a night when they could have won even more comfortably, yet looked vulnerable at times of coughing up their advantage.

Bakasetas struck three minutes after half-time and then in injury-time Caoimhin Kelleher blotted his otherwise spotless copybook with a blunder to gift a goal to substitute Petros Mantalos.

There were tears on the pitch and in the stands before kick-off, after Bakasetas’s opener and after the final whistle, as tributes were paid to the late Greece international George Baldock.

A moving video was shown on the giant screen as the players stood in silence beforehand, while Bakasetas dedicated his goal to his former club and country teammate.

And the players did a lap of honour with Baldock’s number two jersey afterwards, as they soaked up the applause of a sold-out 30,000-strong crowd.

They did justice to his memory with a scintillating display, particularly in the first-half.

Ireland found themselves at sixes and sevens defensively against a Greek attack that utilised the full width of the pitch to stretch their opponents relentlessly, yet often there was a green shirt in the right place at the right moment to shut the door.

And when there wasn’t, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher was at his brilliant best to lock out the hosts, whose attacking play was fluid, fast and no doubt a joy to watch from a neutral perspective.

The problems they created for their visitors were summed up in one 17th minute opportunity for the hosts.

As right-back Dara O’Shea was pulled wide by the run of Dimitris Giannoulis, Christos Tzolis made a burst into the massive gap left by the Ipswich Town man.

With Josh Cullen caught slightly on his heels and late to track the run, Tzolis had time to pick out a cross to the back post, where Giorgos Masouras sent his header wide.

This was an example of the sleight of hand and defence-stretching switch of play that had the Irish backline in knots throughout.

At the other end of the pitch, Heimir Hallgrímsson included both Evan Ferguson and Troy Parrott in his starting-11 so that Ireland could capitalise on any counter-attacking opportunities that came their way.

And there were a couple of occasions when Ireland’s pacy attack caused problems for the hosts, with a couple of those coming in the opening exchanges.

Ferguson was off-balance when he took aim from 15 yards, after the ball spilled into his path off defender Manolis Siopis.

There was a suggestion that he was pushed by Giannoulis as he sent the ball well wide of the target, but Dutch referee Joey Kooij was having none of it.

There were occasions too that highlighted why Hallgrímsson has called for more courage from his players when a risky final ball is on. Cullen was guilty on a couple of occasions of going backwards rather than trusting his ability to make the killer pass.

Kelleher was Ireland’s star man - prior to his late error - and Greece would have been comfortably ahead much earlier than when Bakasetas finally broke the deadlock if it wasn’t for the Liverpool man.

He made fine saves to deny Giorgos Masouras, Bakasetas, Vangelis Pavlidis and

Giannoulis - all inside the first half-hour.

Outside of those saves, there were blocks and deflections, with O’Shea, Nathan Collins and Liam Scales all making vital interventions during a manic opening half-hour.

It felt like it was only a matter of time before the dam burst, yet Greece dialled down the intensity and ferocity of their attacks as half-time approached.

By this stage, some Irish players looked to be struggling. Sammie Szmodics could be seen struggling to catch his breath after racing 50 yards to support Ipswich Town teammate Chiedozie Ogbene.

He wasn’t the only Irish player feeling the heat of an exhausting first-half - and Greece wasted no time in turning the temperature back up after the break, scoring the lead goal within three minutes of the restart.

Their captain Bakasetas had already stung the palms of Kelleher by the time he found the back of the net.

He played a one-two with Tzolis on the edge of the area and drilled a half-volley past Kelleher and into the right-hand corner of the net, with his effort clipping the heel of Scales on its way.

The Panathinaikos midfielder celebrated his 16th goal for his country with an emotional tribute to his late club and country teammate Baldock, by removing and holding aloft his black armband.

It looked for a few minutes like Greece would turn the screw, but the second goal did not come and Hallgrímsson freshened up his attack with some impactful changes.

As with three nights earlier, Festy Ebosele gave the Boys in Green some real zip down the right, while fellow sub Jack Taylor came closest to levelling the game with a 69th minute header.

Ebosele teed up Cullen for a cross, which Taylor headed towards goal, forcing Odysseas Vlachodimos to go full stretch to tip the ball over his bar.

Greece finally put the game to bed in the 91st minute when Kelleher’s attempt to pass the ball to Nathan Collins was intercepted by Mantalos, and he sprinted past the keeper and finished from a tight angle.