Joseph Chipolina’s own goal and a late effort from substitute Robbie Brady handed the Republic of Ireland a Euro 2020 qualifying victory over Gibraltar. On a night when 36,281 turned up at the Aviva Stadium hoping for a goal-fest, Mick McCarthy’s men needed a stroke of good fortune to set them on their way to three points courtesy of a 2-0 win which keeps them at the top of Group D with 10 from their opening four games. The Republic, whose arrival at Lansdowne Road was delayed when they had to change buses after a mechanical failure, misfired despite dominating possession against stubborn opposition and took the lead when David McGoldrick’s 29th-minute shot hit the unfortunate Chipolina and ended up in the net. Republic of Ireland’s David McGoldrick celebrates after his shot deflected in for the opener (Niall Carson/PA) McGoldrick later struck an upright before Brady came off the bench to score in added-time but the game ended with he and fellow frontmen Callum Robinson, Scott Hogan and Sean Maguire still awaiting a first goal for their country and having seen a golden opportunity pass them by. McCarthy had insisted in the run-up to the game that the style in which his side won did not concern him as long as they won, and admitted he would take a goal going in off somebody’s backside if it secured three points. His comments proved somewhat prophetic and while he may be satisfied with the result and elements of the performance, the cutting edge his team will need to convert a decent start into qualification with far more testing fixtures to come during the second half of the campaign was sadly lacking. Topics International Match, UEFA European Championship Qualifying, International Match, UEFA European Championship Qualifying, Gibraltar Striker De Barr tells Republic of Ireland not to underestimate Gibraltar McCarthy urges Ireland to forget poor results and bring back feel-good factor McCarthy putting points over anything as Republic eye Euro 2020 It’s all about the result for McCarthy Adaptation is key, Deschamps insists as he aims to keep France fresh Mick McCarthy takes positives from Republic of Ireland’s win against Gibraltar Spain assistant Moreno insists Euro 2020 qualifying win over Sweden went to plan England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford: I’ve grown following off-field drama Gareth Southgate urges England to keep raising their standards Juventus put five players up for sale as Paul Pogba agrees to Turin return 9 bold transfer predictions that will DEFINITELY happen this summer Real Madrid set to complete another signing after international window The rise and fall of Kieran Trippier – and an international career that’s probably over Quiz! Can you name all 33 England players to take a shootout penalty in a competitive tournament?
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