Ioannidis and Tzolis on target as Greece beat wasteful Ireland
New Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrímsson claimed his side were “second best” against England in their UNL opener, but they were strangely subdued against a Greece side ranked 50 places lower than the Three Lions.
Ireland might have seized the early initiative though, as Sammie Szmodics evaded several challenges before finding himself robbed of possession.
Meanwhile, Irish goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher had to be alert just before the half-hour mark as Anastasios Bakasetas saw a speculative long-range free-kick kept out of the bottom-left corner.
In the face of an opponent they had failed to overcome in five prior attempts, Ireland remained dogged in their determination, but when key danger man Szmodics did get a chance, he could only fire over the bar after sacrificing accuracy for power.
With time ticking towards the interval, Chiedozie Ogbene thought he had succeeded where Szmodics failed, firing into the Greece net before the linesman’s flag put paid to any celebrations.
That was more than enough of a warning sign for Greece though, and they emerged after HT with a renewed sense of purpose, leading to Fotis Ioannidis giving Greece a priceless lead on 50 minutes.
With Ireland once again showing their vulnerability in defence, Bakasetas was able to release Ioannidis in space on the edge of the box, and the Panathinaikos man did the rest, coolly finding the top-left corner of the net.
Having failed to score in seven of their nine prior UNL home games, the Irish now had a real mountain to climb.
In response to going behind, Hallgrímsson deployed the tall and ever-commanding Evan Ferguson to replace Jayson Molumby.
However, that didn’t make the desired impact, and it was Greece who finished the more confident of the two sides, with Bakasetas putting the ball narrowly over the bar from a free kick late on.
Overall, it was another dour and frustrating day for the Irish, who would be condemned to a repeat of last October’s 2-0 H2H loss at this venue late on, when Christos Tzolis pounced on a loose ball inside the box and fired into the bottom-left corner.
That sealed Greece’s fourth clean-sheet victory in six clashes against Ireland, while also ensuring that Ivan Jovanović would become the first Greece manager since the late Kostas Polychroniou in September 1994 to win his opening two games in charge.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Anastasios Bakasetas (Greece)
