Republic of Ireland’s World Cup hopes dented by Armenia defeat

The Republic of Ireland’s bid to reach the 2026 World Cup suffered a serious setback after a damaging 2-1 loss to Armenia in Yerevan, Sport360NG reports.

Facing opponents ranked 105th in the world, 45 places below them, the Irish endured another painful evening three years on from their Nations League upset against the same side.

Eduard Spertsyan, who netted the winner in 2022, struck again from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time after Nathan Collins brought down Lucas Zelarayan. The hosts doubled their advantage early in the second half when Grant-Leon Ranos steered in Nair Tiknizyan’s cross.

Although Evan Ferguson pulled one back with a sharp finish, Heimir Hallgrimsson’s men rarely threatened an equaliser and were fortunate when Artur Serobyan’s late effort was ruled out for offside.

The defeat leaves Ireland with just one point from their opening two Group F fixtures, following Saturday’s draw with Hungary, and daunting clashes against Portugal still to come. Their hopes of returning to the World Cup for the first time since 2002 now look increasingly slim.

Poor response to early setback

Ireland began brightly, with Ferguson almost scoring after capitalising on a spill from goalkeeper Ognjen Cancarevic, only for defender Erik Piloyan to clear off the line. Jack Taylor also forced Cancarevic into a near-post save.

But Armenia gradually seized control. Ranos rattled the bar before Spertsyan converted from the spot, and the second goal moments after the restart left the visitors chasing the game. Ferguson’s strike offered brief hope, but beyond that Ireland created little, despite Hallgrimsson making attacking changes at half-time.

Caoimhin Kelleher’s saves and VAR’s intervention to cancel Serobyan’s late goal spared further damage, yet Armenia looked the sharper side throughout and could have won more convincingly.

A familiar nightmare

For Ireland, the loss revived memories of their infamous 2021 defeat to Luxembourg. Once again, a lower-ranked opponent exposed their shortcomings and dealt a heavy blow to qualification ambitions.

While Armenia arrived off the back of a 5-0 thrashing by Portugal, they outplayed Ireland in most areas and celebrated one of their most notable victories. They now travel to Hungary next month before visiting Dublin, where confidence will be high of taking another result.

Hallgrimsson, who has presided over just one win in ten competitive matches, admitted he shoulders responsibility:

“Today I take the blame for this. It was an off day and we must look at what we can do differently. The players need support,” he told RTE.

With a trip to Portugal looming on 11 October, followed by the return fixture against Armenia, Ireland’s campaign is already close to collapse. Unless there is a dramatic turnaround, their long wait to reappear on the World Cup stage looks set to continue.