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Republic of Ireland vs. Georgia: Score, Reaction for World Cup 2018 Qualifying
- Updated: October 6, 2016
The Republic of Ireland clinched their first win of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process on Thursday after captain Seamus Coleman bundled home the only goal of the match to seal a scrappy 1-0 victory.
Manager Martin O’Neill’s side made a triumphant return to home soil and impressed at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium in their bid to qualify ahead of the likes of fellow Group D combatants Wales, Austria and Serbia.
The Republic of Ireland now sit fourth in Group D behind leaders Wales, who finished with a 2-2 away draw against second-placed Austria on Thursday, while third-placed Serbia sealed a 3-0 victory against Moldova.
OptaJoe signalled the Boys in Green as being a difficult opponent to stop from scoring on their own soil:
23 – Courtesy of Seamus Coleman’s goal, the Republic of Ireland have now scored in 23 of their last 24 internationals on home soil. Emerald.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 6, 2016
There was plenty of reason for optimism coming into the clash, as far as the home side were concerned. A 2-2 away draw against Serbia was a reasonable result in their Group D opener, and Georgia were at the bottom of the pool following a 2-1 home defeat against Austria.
It was therefore something of a surprise to see Georgia accounting for the majority of the shooting chances in the first period, and Irish broadcaster Matt Cooper noted the hosts needed to be wary:
Georgia have been really really good which is far more.relevant than all the cribbing on …
