Ireland Beat Israel 3-0 in Debrecen With Three First-Half Goals

Republic of Ireland beat Israel 3-0 in Debrecen, Hungary, scoring all three goals inside the first 25 minutes to pick up their first points of the Nations League Group B3 campaign, in a fixture that had been in doubt in the days beforehand.

Troy Parrott opened the scoring in the 13th minute, finishing low after a cutback from James Abankwah, for his 12th international goal. Adam Idah doubled the lead within minutes, converting after being played in by Jack Moylan, who then scored the third himself in the 25th minute with a low finish into the far corner, his first competitive international goal. Caoimhin Kelleher made several saves in the second half, including from Dor Peretz and Eliel Peretz, to preserve the clean sheet.

The match went ahead after Ireland's players voted to play, though reserve goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu chose to boycott both fixtures against Israel, citing his personal beliefs about the conflict in Gaza. The Irish team wore black armbands in recognition of what the team called all lives lost in the conflict, bowed their heads during the Israeli anthem, and there were no handshakes or pennant exchanges before or after the game. Israel played their home fixture in Debrecen in front of a limited crowd.

Ireland, who lost 1-0 in Kosovo on Thursday, host Austria in Dublin next Thursday, while Israel return to Debrecen to face Kosovo.