O'Shea Captains as Ireland Win
Sunday, 27th Sep 2026 21:58

Blues skipper Dara O’Shea captained the Republic of Ireland as they beat Israel 3-0 in their highly controversial Nations League qualifier in Hungary, while Sasa Lukic and Julio Enciso also won caps with their national sides.

Yesterday, the Irish squad appeared on the verge of pulling out of the fixture as the players and FAI held a protracted meeting and Bolton keeper Gavin Bazunu said he would take no part in the game with other members of the party said to be considering similarly withdrawing. Eventually, the players voted 14 to eight - not including Bazunu - to play the match, despite vehement protests in Ireland.

Ahead of kick-off in a near empty stadium in Debrecen, O’Shea, who was winning his 47th cap, shook hands with the officials but not with his Israel opposite number, while the Ireland squad wore black armbands and bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem.

Former Blues loanee Troy Parrott, now with Real Betis, opened the scoring in the 14th minute, Swansea City’s Adam Idah added the second two minutes later, before Cardiff City’s Jack Moylan made it 3-0 on 25.

Ireland saw out the second half with Blues winger Chieo Ogbene, who is on loan at Lincoln for the season, an unused sub.

The Irish squad are in action again on Thursday when they host Austria at the Aviva Stadium, then face Israel again, this time behind closed doors in Serbia, next Sunday.

Elsewhere, Lukic won his 64th cap as Serbia were beaten 2-1 by the Netherlands in Belgrade in their second Nations League tie, the midfielder assisting his side’s goal just before half-time and picking up a yellow card for a foul on Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, who was forced off injured.

Enciso started and won his 38th cap for Paraguay as they beat Bolivia 2-0 in a friendly in Washington DC, the Town forward assisting the second goal.

Keeper Henry Gray, who is on loan at Wellington Phoenix, was an unused sub for New Zealand as they won 3-0 away in China.

Young Blues central defender Oliver Wilkinson played the full 90 minutes and won his first England U18s cap as the Young Lions beat Egypt 2-1 at the UEFA Friendship Cup in Switzerland this afternoon.

Photo: Reuters

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shropshiretractor added 22:23 - Sep 27 Great experience for our players, and they are all starting! Lukic got an assist, Oshea captained, and Enciso is currently leading the line. Most importantly : no injuries (so far!). That's the worst thing that can happen for us in this break.
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WeWereZombies added 23:03 - Sep 27 Assist for Enciso on Almiron's second goal for Paraguay.
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armchaircritic59 added 00:19 - Sep 28 Well done to the ROI guys. Completed the fixture as required, but still made their point firmly.
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guentchev123 added 08:22 - Sep 28 O’Shea and the Irish players were put in a difficult position regarding the Israel game and made their point in a poignant way. As captain, O’Shea has had to deal with an awful lot over the last few days and he will come back to us a better leader.
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bobble added 08:37 - Sep 28

Thats not a victory its a capitulation...tell your grand kids how you ignored the murder of 20,000 children and played a game of football against the murderers...cause it was all so hard for you to stand up by yourselves for the right thing..,,,,,at least the Wallabies won despite the ref and every official on the field on and off trying to prevent the victory over the world champs...

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bobble added 08:37 - Sep 28

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bluesissy added 09:20 - Sep 28 No politics in football!!!!!!!
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dubblue added 09:55 - Sep 28

Well done to Dara and the RoI lads played with absolute dignity in very challenging circumstances, while I respect Gavin Bazunu’s decision too much attention has been given to him rather than the players who lined out. Israel should have been kicked out by UEFA, they never responded to the FAI’s request last November that the matches be cancelled. With the matches having to be played I don’t think it would be fair to give Israel 6 points, that country deserves nothing!!

d77sgw added 10:08 - Sep 28 I understand that Israel are now considering an appeal on the result of match last night, on the basis that God promised them a win 5000 years ago, and that the scoreline was deeply 'antisemitic'.
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Bluearmy_81 added 11:03 - Sep 28 Conservatively more like 35000 children Bobble, but if higher estimates from such institutions like the Lancet are correct, it could be 100000+ children alone murdered…
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BlueNomad added 11:33 - Sep 28 One dead child is one too many
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algarvefan added 16:10 - Sep 28

For (hopefully) the last time, this is not politics in sport, this is universally recognised Genocide and is still continuing despite the so called ceasefire. All the Irish players were put in an impossible decision making position by the FAI and UEFA.

The murder of children and Babies on a massive scale should not be taken lightly, anyone who has seen today's video of an IDF soldier laughing and saying the IDF may not win the game but in Palestine they always win, will know what I mean. I am beyond disgusted that the game was allowed to go ahead. As for the players it is a moral dilemma, down to each individual. Personally I would not have played, well done to their keeper who made that decision and was abandoned by the squad for doing so, I will never see our captain in the same light again, sorry if this doesn't suit some, but I am fed up with people normalising a dreadful Genocide.

Pirateplank added 17:09 - Sep 28 @BlueNomad apologies, that was obviously meant to be an up vote
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armchaircritic59 added 18:02 - Sep 28 Considering what the perpetrators of these atrocities believe in, all I can say is, I wouldn't want to be them when judgement day comes. They might be making hell on earth for those they persecute, but if their beliefs turn out to be correct, they're going to get payback big style.
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Daniel72 added 21:27 - Sep 28

I totally respect the opinion of Algarvefan but I would say don't hold it against our captain, they voted as a team and if he had gone against it what good would that have done? I'm glad he refused the hand of his opposite number and I think they made a point with both this and their football... I don't think he could have done any more in that position and retained his dignity in very trying circumstances.

Dozzells_Bobblehat added 22:20 - Sep 28 Well this is an easy game of spot the virtue signalling lefty.
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trueblue85 added 22:50 - Sep 28 Bobble - you absolute pratt!!
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Pirateplank added 07:13 - Sep 29 @Dozzells Bobblehat - what a repulsive comment. Complete lack of empathy, total apathy and plenty of idiocy. The state of you.
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bobble added 08:38 - Sep 29 Trueblue ..i think we know who the pratt is.......
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bobble added 08:41 - Sep 29 I see the israeli fans were making monkey chants at black irish players, israelis really are the lowest form of racist scum and anyone who supports them is too.....
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bobble added 08:41 - Sep 29 I see the israeli fans were making monkey chants at black irish players, israelis really are the lowest form of racist scum and anyone who supports them is too.....
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Bluearmy_81 added 10:02 - Sep 29 The number one cause of child deaths this year is Israel. Read that again and again until in sinks in. Absolute demons
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Bluearmy_81 added 10:10 - Sep 29

For ‘virtue signalling lefty’ DBH, read conscientious human beings with humanity and compassion for innocent civilians who cannot bear to passively sit and watch a genocide and gargantuan levels of physical and psychological/mental suffering continue. If you think there’s fault in the above, have a good, long, hard think about what it means to be a decent human being

Dozzells_Bobblehat added 13:56 - Sep 29 Pirateplank how is that repulsive? I dont say anywhere that I don't think people dying is awful. I just dont take yo social media to condemn people trying to fo their jobs . Especially when most of those people know sweet fa about a situation thats been going on for decades.
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Daniel72 added 23:53 - Sep 29 bLUEARMY YOU HAVE OFTEN SEEMED TO HAVE IMPOSSIBLE STANDARDS FOR THE TOWN BUT IT SEEMS TO ME AT LEAST THAT YOU HAVE DECENT AND GOOD STANDARDS FOR ALL OF HUMANITY... GOD BLESS YOU AND UP THE TOWN!
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