Hourihane gives Republic another victory
Conor Hourihane’s first senior international goal handed the Republic of Ireland a deserved Euro 2020 qualifier victory over Georgia as Mick McCarthy was treated to the perfect homecoming.
Ireland, who had scraped their way to a 1-0 win over Group D minnows Gibraltar on Saturday evening, were more than value for the points as they won by the same score at the Aviva Stadium with the Georgians rarely looking like ending their wait for a win over the Irish at the 10th attempt.
Hourihane’s 39th-minute free-kick ultimately settled the game, although goalkeeper Darren Randolph had to make a good reaction save to deny Valerian Gvilia an equaliser and Jaba Kankava hit the post five minutes from time.
However, anything less than victory would have been harsh on the hosts, who rose to the occasion and turned in a stirring display which could and probably should have resulted in a much more convincing scoreline.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
FourFourTwo was launched in 1994 on the back of a World Cup that England hadn’t even qualified for. It was an act of madness… but it somehow worked out. Our mission is to offer our intelligent, international audience access to the game’s biggest names, insightful analysis... and a bit of a giggle. We unashamedly love this game and we hope that our coverage reflects that.