The winner of the Epsom Derby and the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh earlier this year, Auguste Rodin has disappointed hugely on two occasions, namely the QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

This afternoon, however, the son of Deep Impact showed his battling qualities as he held off the challenge of his stable companion, and last year’s winner of the race, Luxembourg (Séamie Heffernan), by a half-length. Hollie Doyle aboard Nashwa was a short-head further back in third for John and Thady Gosden.

The three Ballydoyle runners, Luxembourg, Point Lonsdale (eventual 6th), and Auguste Rodin cut out the running in that order.

Ryan Moore and Auguste Rodin made their challenge on the outside of Luxembourg and Heffernan and fought off his stable companion’s challenge to claim a fourth career Group 1 success.

“It’s very satisfying to come back and prove how good he is.”

Ryan Moore hails Auguste Rodin and the training feats of Aidan O’Brien after a memorable Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes #IrishChampionsFestival | @BahrainTurfClub| @LeopardstownRC pic.twitter.com/d41tUMiPhu

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 9, 2023

The winning trainer, Aidan O’Brien, for whom it was a 12th Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes win, said of the winner:

“A couple of times this year it all went totally wrong. All the ducks went against him. Usually you want them all to go with you but they all went against him. Ryan (Moore, the winning rider), before it went completely wrong in Ascot, he took him out of the race so he did no mental or physical damage to him. That’s why he came out of the race so well.”

The post Auguste Rodin gives Aidan O’Brien 12th Irish Champion Stakes appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Luxembourg v Ireland will kick off at 19:45 on Sunday 14th November in Stade de Luxembourg. For those unable to travel, the match will be shown live on RTE 2 and RTE Player.

Luxembourg come into this game now ranked 97th in the FIFA World Rankings. Manager Luc Holtz will be with his team, this has been one of the most successful campaigns for their nation.

With the help of their Ligue 1 striker Gerson Rodrigues and Bundesliga midfielder Leandro Barreiro, they currently sit in third place after seven points. Although they are not close to the qualification places, they have managed three victories in the group stage.

They most recently beat Azerbaijan comfortably 3-1 away in Baku on Friday. Rodrigues made a man of the match performance, scoring two goals.

Ireland is now ranked at 51st in the FIFA World Ranking. After a poor start to the campaign, Stephen Kenny has turned his team’s performances around. After a 0-0 stalemate in Dublin to Portugal, the Boys in Green are unbeaten in five matches and only one loss in nine.

Kenny will want another strong performance from star players Callum Robinson and Chiedozie Ogbene if they want to push on from their fourth-place rank in the World Cup group stage.

These two small nations in the football world have only faced each other once before. Back in March, Luxembourg shocked Dublin as they beat a poor Irish team 1-0 in Aviva Stadium. This game will decide who finishes third in the table and Kenny will want a win to cap off his campaign.

Gerson Rodrigues Great Goal (bicycle kick) for Luxembourg vs Azerbaijan pic.twitter.com/YAohrvqbfE

— foteus (@nothing76367051) November 12, 2021

Luxembourg v Ireland Probable Starting Teams

Luxembourg

Formation

4-4-2

Probable Starting 11

Moris (GK), Pinto, Carlson, Chanot, Malget, Thill, Barreiro, Martins, Sinani. Rodrigues, Borges.

Injuries / Suspensions

Jans (Foot)

Ireland

Formation

3-4-2-1

Probable Starting 11

Kelleher (GK), Egan, Duffy, Collins, Knight, Cullin, Keane, Doherty, Ogbene, Idah, Robinson.

Injuries / Suspensions

Omobamidele (Achilles tendon), Molumby (Hamstring), Connolly (Foot)

To hear herself say "I really enjoyed that" leaving an Ireland game for the first time means a lot. The atmosphere and the football we're playing, it's such an exciting time for Irish football. Can't wait to bring her to more @CiaraLennon__ #InKingKennyWeTrust pic.twitter.com/1qi96Kbnae

— Kieran Burke (@Kieran_B_Sport) November 12, 2021

Luxembourg v Ireland Match Betting

Luxembourg to win: 13/5

Draw: 2/1

Ireland to win: 23/20

Score Prediction

Although I am blinded by patriotism, this seems like a great chance for Ireland to claim their second win of the group. The Irishmen are in strong form and are looking more comfortable in front of the goal.

Expect the game to end 2-0 to Ireland, ending the campaign on a high.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Shane Duffy taking flight pic.twitter.com/HKer9hPlBg

— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 11, 2021

To read more from this writer, click here.

And to read more in-depth and up-to-date Ireland and international club football news, click here.

The post Luxembourg v Ireland – Preview, Betting, Probable Starting Teams appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The 26-year-old has made 23 appearances for Ireland since being handed his debut by former manager Martin O’Neill in May 2016 in a 2-1 defeat to Belarus.

The Oxford-born Republic of Ireland player has yet to complete the full 90 minutes under Kenny and has only played for the side five times under their current boss.

O’Dowda is line to make his first appearance for the national side in a year – the Bristol City winger has featured for Stephen Kenny’s team since the 1-0 defeat to Wales in the UEFA Nations League last November.

Cardiff City forward James Collins will miss out on a 15th appearance for the national team and an 11th since Stephen Kenny took the reins.

O’Dowda has been a bit-part player for Bristol City so far this season, making only seven appearances in the EFL Championship and playing for only 278 minutes – 90 of which came in his most recent game for the Robins against Coventry.

Ireland Squad v Portugal and Luxembourg

Goalkeepers: Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Gavin Bazunu (Portsmouth, on loan from Manchester City), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth).
Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Matt Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur), Ryan Manning (Swansea City), Enda Stevens (Sheffield United), James McClean (Wigan Athletic), Shane Duffy (Brighton and Hove Albion), John Egan (Sheffield United), Andrew Omobamidele (Norwich City), Nathan Collins (Burnley).
Midfielders: Conor Hourihane (Sheffield United, on loan from Aston Villa), Josh Cullen (Anderlecht), Jeff Hendrick (Newcastle United), Jason Knight (Derby County), Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion, on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion), Alan Browne (Preston North End), Jamie McGrath (St. Mirren).
Forwards: Callum Robinson (West Bromwich Albion), Troy Parrott (MK Dons, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Adam Idah (Norwich City), Callum O’Dowda (Bristol City), Will Keane (Wigan Athletic), Chiedozie Ogbene (Rotherham United), Daryl Horgan (Wycombe Wanderers).

Fixtures – FIFA 2022 World Cup Qualifying

11/11 – Republic of Ireland v Portugal – Aviva Stadium, 7.45 pm
14/11 – Luxembourg v Republic of Ireland – Stade de Luxembourg, 7.45pm

The post Republic of Ireland call up O’Dowda after Collins injury appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The Republic of Ireland had the lion’s share of possession throughout the game but a 25-yard strike from Azerbaijani midfielder Emin Makhmudov forced Stephen Kenny’s side to chase the game in the second half.

The ever-reliable Shane Duffy headed home with three minutes to spare in normal time to share the spoils with the visitors but Ireland failed to deliver on the promise they showed on Wednesday against Portugal.

Duffy and co. started out as the better side, applying pressure on a three-man defence that appeared as if holes could be exposed in it.

However, as the half went on, Ireland’s history under Stephen Kenny of being wasteful in front of goal had another chapter added to it as the side failed to take the lead despite having several strong chances to do so.

Ireland’s 3-4-3 formation failed to impact their play positively with a midfield who struggled to keep possession and an overreliance on creativity down the right flank.

Azerbaijan got to grips with the game and started pushing back and applying pressure on the hosts’ back five.

Ireland weathered much of the storm but not without some alarming amounts of space being afforded to the opponents on the ball at times.

The half looked to be ending without a goal before Makhmudov rifled the ball past Gavin Bazunu, shocking the Aviva and putting Giovanni De Biasi’s side ahead.

De Biasi’s defensive tactics shone in the second half as the Republic of Ireland were frustrated time and time again.

The game followed the trend Azerbaijan have showcased in recent history of allowing at least twice as many shots against themselves as they took.

However, the Azerbaijani defence, namely a narrow back three and goalkeeper Sahruddin Mehemmedeliyev, held firm.

Wycombe Wanderers striker Daryl Horgan came on in place of Aaron Connolly and injected some much-needed urgency into the side.

Troy Parrott was taken off 17 minutes into the second half with Jayson Molumby on in his place.

Parrott struggled throughout the game after being placed in a deeper role than usual – it was not uncommon to see Idah centrally and Parrott behind him with no presence on the right-hand side in the final third.

Ireland got their goal with minutes to spare courtesy of Shane Duffy, who became the side’s joint top-scorer under Stephen Kenny with his equaliser – Duffy and Parrott have both scored two since Kenny’s first game in charge.

The team pushed for a winner but could not find it and come out of their first half of World Cup Qualifier fixtures with just a point to show for it.

The Republic of Ireland host Serbia on Tuesday, September 7 in the first of their reverse fixtures against their Group A opponents.

Serbia smacked Luxembourg 4-1 in the Red Star Stadium in Belgrade and have given Ireland a mountain to climb to get out of the group – although it does not seem like Stephen Kenny’s side have a chance.

The post Republic of Ireland Left Frustrated In Front Of Fans appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The Group A showdown means one of the sides will finally get points on the board after both teams suffered losses to Portugal, Serbia and Luxembourg.

Stephen Kenny’s Republic of Ireland side came close in their last match against Portugal after two disappointing opening games against Serbia and Luxembourg but it was not to be.

Our match report detailed an Ireland that had cohesion in defence and offered threats up top via the vision of their midfield.

More of the same will be expected against an Azerbaijan side who have given up at least twice as many shots as they have taken in each of their three other qualifying games.

They will hope to get their second win under the former Dundalk and Ireland U21 boss against the side ranked 112th in the world.

Ireland have announced their team for today’s game, which sees Ronan Curtis, Alan Browne and Callum Robinson all make a return to the matchday 23.

Ireland’s full-backs will once again be crucial to their performance – the duo of Seamus Coleman and Matt Doherty will retain their spots after the Portugal match.

Norwich City’s Andrew Omibamidele made his debut for the national side after he came on in Dara O’Shea’s place after the latter centre-half was forced off through injury.

Omibamidele impressed and will appear again on the bench for the Republic of Ireland as the formation shifts from a 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2.

Giovanni De Biasi’s side tends to set up defensively but do deploy wing-backs and can offer a threat in the final third if given the chance.

Lineups

Republic of Ireland (4-4-2): Bazunu; Coleman, Duffy, Egan, Doherty; Connolly, Cullen, Molumby, McClean; Idah, Parrott.

Subs: Kelleher, Talbot, Manning, Hourihane, Robinson, Hendrick, Browne, Horgan, McGrath, Collins, Curtis, Omibamidele.

Azerbaijan (4-3-3): Mahammadaliyev; Medvedev (C), Haghverdi, Camalov, Kryvotsiuk; Mahmudov, Qarayev, Bayramov; Alasgarov, Emreli, Ozobic.

Subs: Salahli, Mustafayev, Ahmadzada, Seydayev, Cannatov, Huseynov, Mustafazada, Nuriyev, Khalilzada, Ibrahimli, Sadykhov, Bayramov.

Odds

Republic of Ireland 1/2

Draw 11/4

Azerbaijan 6/1

TV Coverage 

Kick-off for the match is at 5:00 pm with RTÉ 2 broadcasting the game – their coverage begins at 4 pm.

The post Republic of Ireland v Azerbaijan – Preview, Lineups, Odds, TV Coverage appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Gavin Bazunu – 7

Mark Travers was dropped after starting against Serbia to be replaced by Manchester City goalkeeper – on loan at Rochdale – Gavin Bazunu.

Making his first appearance for an Ireland senior team, it should have been a daunting experience for the 19-year-old. However, you wouldn’t have known that based on his performance.

Bazunu exuded confidence on the night. He received plenty of touches due to his willingness to show for the ball, was commanding in his box and produced a brilliant save to deny Gerson Rodrigues’ lob.

He could do nothing about Luxembourg’s winner and can be very proud of his performance.

Matt Doherty – 5

Didn’t really affect the game much during his time on the pitch. He was accurate with his passing but didn’t offer much in an attacking sense.

Subbed off at half-time after picking up a minor injury in the first-half.

Enda Stevens – 5

Got forward on occasion but failed to influence in the final third other than a handful of good passes down the line.

Séamus Coleman – 7

One of Ireland’s better players on the night, Coleman was very good defensively and comfortable in possession.

Despite playing at centre back, he got forward on occasion looking to create chances.

Dara O’Shea – 7

Another solid defensive performance from O’Shea. The West Brom centre back looked like an experienced international despite playing just his 6^th game for Ireland.

His distribution from the back was also good on the night.

Ciaran Clark – 6

Made one excellent defensive intervention in the box to head over the bar and deny any Luxembourg players an opportunity and was comfortable defensively in his time on the pitch.

One criticism would be his passing out from the back, which was inaccurate at times.

Josh Cullen – 7

Another composed midfield performance from Cullen.

The Anderlecht midfielder showed for the ball whenever he could and was generally very accurate with his passing. Opted for the short pass most of the time but played a couple of killer balls to onrushing Ireland players in behind.

Hustled and harried throughout the 90 minutes and was impressive throughout.

Jason Knight – 7

Started in place of Jayson Molumby and played very well. His energy and determination allowed him to intercept and draw fouls on a number of occasions.

His passing was also accurate for the most part,

Alan Browne – 5

After a very good performance on Wednesday, Browne was more than underwhelming tonight.

He gave the ball away on a handful of occasions and squandered the chances that came to him, including one header in particularly which he dragged wide despite being in plenty of space.

Callum Robinson – 6

The Sheffield United man was heavily involved in Ireland’s best attacking move of the game. He produced a pinpoint cross into James Collins’ feet but his shot was somehow saved by the Luxembourg ‘keeper.

Otherwise, though, he was quiet in the final third.

James Collins – 6

Ireland’s most dangerous player on the night.

Arguably should have scored after latching onto Callum Robinson’s cross but he made something out of nothing more than once in the game, also.

Very nearly scored a spectacular overhead kick but, again, luck wasn’t on his side.

SUBSTITUTES

Robbie Brady – 6

Came on at half-time for Matt Doherty and started off well, swinging a couple of good crosses into the box.

He gradually faded out of the game though and was sloppy in possession at times.

James McClean – 5

Tried to get down the left flank and change Ireland’s fortunes but failed to produce.

The Stoke City winger wasn’t effective after coming on, unfortunately.

Shane Long – 6

Worked hard as usual and had one half-chance with a header but failed to get enough power onto his effort to trouble the ‘keeper.

Troy Parrott & Jayson Molumby – N/A

Not on long enough.

A stunning win for Luxembourg in Dublin #WCQ | #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/elnoXDLf2e

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) MARCH 27, 2021

The post Irish player ratings in disappointing defeat to Luxembourg appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Ireland’s World Cup qualification opponents were revealed earlier today. Their opponents for the upcoming campaign will be; Portugal, Serbia, Luxembourg and Azerbaijan.

Qualification for the World Cup finals is only reserved for 1^st and 2^nd placed teams within each group. Teams who place top of their respective groups will automatically qualify. On the other hand, runners-up will enter a play-off to determine which team goes through.

It will be a tough ask for Ireland to qualify, particularly given their poor recent form and the quality of opposition. Nevertheless, Ireland have overcome odds before and will be hoping to do so once again during this qualification campaign.

The campaign is set to kick off in March 2021, running until November of the same year. Here’s an overview of what Ireland are up against:

PORTUGAL

Portugal, being seeded in Pot 1 and having an exciting mix of youth and experience, are obvious favourites to win the group.

They’ve qualified for the last 5 World Cups, having last failed for the 1998 World Cup. In contrast, Ireland have not qualified for a World Cup since 2002.

Ireland have faced Portugal a total of 13 times, losing 7 and winning 4 times. Their most recent fixture was an international friendly, a game which ended up in a 5-1 Portuguese victory.

Unlike Ireland, Portugal have major international honours to their name. Perhaps most famously, they won the 2016 European Championships after defeating France in extra time. They also won the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019.

Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping to become international football’s highest ever goalscorer by the end of the campaign. He currently sits on 102 goals, just 7 goals behind current top goalscorer, Ali Daei.

Portugal have quality all over the pitch, meaning Ireland will have to be at their very best to claim any kind of result.

Key players: Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, João Félix.

Form: WLWWD

SERBIA

Despite losing to Scotland in their European Championship play-off game, Serbia are a quality side. They possess players of particular high quality in the midfield and forward areas.

They’ve been involved in 3 World Cup qualifying campaigns as Serbia – having previously competed under Yugoslavia and Serbia & Montenegro – and have qualified from 2 of those. They have, however, not made it past the group stage as of yet.

Ireland have faced Serbia 5 times, not winning a single match. Their most recent meeting came in the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, where both teams were drawn in the same group. One fixture finished in a Serbia win while the other finished as a 2-2 draw. Serbia topped the group while Ireland qualified for the play-offs, but failed to qualify for the tournament.

Although not as fearsome as Portugal, Serbia should provide a stern test for Ireland. The fixtures against Serbia are crucial for Ireland. Whoever comes out on top will have a very good chance of making the play-offs – assuming Portugal tops the group.

Key players: Sergej Milinković-Savić, Aleksandar Mitrović, Dušan Tadić

Form: WDDDL

LUXEMBOURG

Although not traditionally a country known for it’s football, Luxembourg have put together a decent team in recent years. They *might not* qualify for major tournaments any time soon, but they are definitely building towards something promising.

Ireland have faced Luxembourg 5 times, winning all of those fixtures. However, the last match between the two sides came in 1987 and Luxembourg are an improved, more professional side since then.

Luxembourg have competed in every World Cup qualifying campaign since 1934, but have failed to qualify from the group stages as yet.

They were promoted from Nations League group D in 2019 and very nearly achieved the same feat this year as they finished finished 2^nd in their League C group – which also included Azerbaijan.

Luxembourg could very well be the dark horse in this group, Ireland will have to do a professional job on the underdogs. Complacency could prove an issue going into this fixture.

Key players: Gerson Rodrigues, Vincent Thill, Laurent Jans.

Form: DLLWW

AZERBAIJAN

Like Luxembourg, Azerbaijan’s national team has been steadily improving for years. Much of the progression is due to the growth of their domestic league. Qarabağ, in particular, have vastly increased their reputation in recent years due to their involvement in the UEFA Europa League. In fact, they’ve qualified for the group stages every year since 2014.

Unlike the other teams in the group, Ireland have never faced Azerbaijan before. They have, however, faced the USSR – which they were part of – on 8 occasions. Ireland won 3 of those matches, while the USSR won 4.

Azerbaijan have never qualified for the World Cup as an independent country, having entered every campaign since 1998.

As mentioned before, they were in the same Nations League group as fellow group members, Luxembourg, this year. Luxembourg were victorious on one occasion while the other match between the two finished as a stalemate.

Realistically, Azerbaijan should finish bottom of the group. That is not, however, guaranteed. Ireland will have to be at their best to ensure a victory.

Key players: Ali Ghorbani, Maksim Medvedev, Gara Garayev.

Form: DDDDL

The post Overview of Ireland’s World Cup qualification opponents appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Stephen Kenny’s Ireland team will face Portugal and Serbia in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. The Boys in Green suffered a heavy defeat last time they played Portugal, losing 5-1 back in 2014. Whilst their last competitive fixtures both ended all square in the lead up to the 2002 World Cup.

As a consequence of Ireland’s poor recent form, they found themselves in pot three for the draw meaning they will also face Serbia. Since 2008, Ireland and Serbia have gone head to head five times, resulting in three draws and two wins for the Serbians. Similar to Ireland, Serbia suffered their own EURO 2020 qualifying heartache after losing to Scotland on penalties in the play-off final.

Luxembourg and Azerbaijan make up the remainder of Group A. It will be the first time Ireland have ever played Azerbaijan, and it will have been over 30 years since they have faced Luxembourg.

Group A is now complete

1⃣ Portugal
2⃣ Serbia
3⃣ Ireland
4⃣ Luxembourg
5⃣ Azerbaijan

What are your thoughts on that draw? #COYBIG | #WCQ | #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/wLpzS50IfW

— FAIreland (@FAIreland) December 7, 2020

Qualifying Format

The ten group winners will automatically qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. An additional three spots are up for grabs, with each runner-up along with the two highest-ranked teams from the UEFA Nations League set to contest in a play-off format for the last available places.

The qualifiers commence at the end of March 2021 with three opening fixtures scheduled. You can find the full World Cup 2022 qualifying draw below.

Group A: Portugal, Serbia, Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg, Azerbaijan.

Group B: Spain, Sweden, Greece, Georgia, Kosovo.

Group C: Italy, Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, Lithuania.

Group D: France, Ukraine, Finland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kazakhstan.

Group E: Belgium, Wales, Czech Republic, Belarus, Estonia.

Group F: Denmark, Austria, Scotland, Israel, Faroe Islands, Moldova.

Group G: Holland, Turkey, Norway, Montenegro, Latvia, Gibraltar.

Group H: Croatia, Slovakia, Russia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta.

Group I: England, Poland, Hungary, Albania, Andorra, San Marino.

Group J: Germany, Romania, Iceland, North Macedonia, Armenia, Liechtenstein.

The post Ireland to play Portugal and Serbia in 2022 World Cup Qualifiers appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.