Republic of Ireland will face Netherland next in another friendly before the regional tournament in France this summer. The Irish team played a 2 – 2 draw with Repre of Slovakia at the Aviva stadium of March 29th 2016.
Head Coach of the Irish team, Martin O’Neill played with just a striker in the Tuesday friendly as the squad had multiple injuries at the same time. Martin had ruled out the team’s skipper Robbie Keane due to a knee injury. Kevin Doyle, another attacking option for The Wolfhounds, was on the sidelines after he recently went through surgery to repair his shin.
Aside Kelvin Doyle, other key players for The Wolfhounds, Jonathan Walters and Daryl Murphy also missed the match. Before the match, the spokesman for the Irish FA commented on the injuries.
The spokesman said: “Jonathan Walters, Daryl Murphy, and Kevin Doyle will be unavailable for the second of two March games following on from last Friday’s 1-0 win over Switzerland. Murphy and Doyle both picked up injuries in that game, while Walters was not risked. Murphy and Walters have now returned to their clubs for assessment and management of injuries. Doyle will remain with the Ireland squad for ongoing medical management following surgery on a shin injury sustained in the first half of the Switzerland game.”
The republic of Ireland remains unbeaten by Slovakia. Prior to the match, four previous encounters didn’t end in a loss for the Ireland. Tuesday’s match ended in the draw keeping the record untainted. 33-year old Wes Hoolahan was impressive in the match. The Norwich player moved the ball slickly and controlled the match. He was the man of the match.
Ireland will now play another friendly against Netherlands on 27th of March as a build up prior to Euro 2016. Few days later, they are billed to take on Belarus in another friendly. On the same day when Ireland played against Slovakia, Netherlands defeated the English team after losing few days earlier to the French team. The friendly is a build-up before Ireland takes on Sweden, Belgium and Italy in France 2016.