Ireland head coach: “The result against Armenia is all that matters”

Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson held a press conference ahead of the decisive World Cup qualifying match against Armenia. Ireland needs only a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

After a painful late defeat to Portugal and a disappointing loss in Yerevan a month ago, the “Boys in Green” sit bottom of the group. However, a victory over Armenia in Dublin, combined with Portugal’s success against Hungary, could lift Ireland to second place and restore control over their destiny.

Hallgrímsson emphasized the importance of the upcoming game:
“The result is the only thing that matters tomorrow. No matter how the game goes, I’ll accept even a poor performance if it brings a 1–0 win. This is a result game — one hundred percent,” said the coach.

The second-match problem

Reporters also asked about Ireland’s inconsistency in the second games of international double-headers. After a hard-fought home draw against Hungary in June, the Irish collapsed in Yerevan. Similar issues appeared in the Nations League, where wins over Finland were followed by defeats to Greece and England.

Hallgrímsson admitted that this trend is worrying:
“Yes, it’s true — we often play worse in the second match. We’re trying to change that: monitoring workloads, recovering players faster, rotating the squad, and of course working on the mental side — it’s important to switch focus quickly and be ready for the next game,” he explained.

Finally, the Icelander expressed confidence that his team can get the needed result:
“We know we made mistakes in Yerevan, and now we want to show we’ve learned from them. In Dublin, with the support of our fans, we must give them a victory.”

The Ireland vs Armenia match will take place on Tuesday evening, October 14, at Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

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