IRELAND WIN IN AUSTRIA TO TOP THE GROUP

Ireland's first ever victory on Austrian soil has opened the door to a world of possibilities. 
2016 was a major tournament year, but this result could have a significant impact on Martin O'Neill's ambitions to bring Ireland to another one in Russia in 18 months time.
 

The last away triumph in a qualifier of this magnitude came in Scotland back in February 1987. These are the games that Irish sides are not supposed to win.
And, while time froze in time added on when the unmarked Marc Janko headed wide in a crowded goalmouth, this was a result that Ireland earned.
James McClean's 48th minute effort did the job and the most satisfying aspect of the outcome for O'Neill will be the fact that if there was a period where his team rode their luck, it was before the goal as opposed to afterwards.
His patched up side responded to adversity to grind out a crucial success over an Austrian group that is already staring elimination in the face.
At the end, they had run themselves into the ground. Jon Walters could barely walk. Seamus Coleman crawled after David Alaba in the late drama. But they stood firm at key junctures to make a big statement.
It didn't look likely earlier in the evening.
Ireland were level at the break after a chaotic opening half at the Ernst Happel Stadium where the loss of Glenn Whelan forced a tactical switch that was unable to affect the general flow of proceedings.
Specifically, it was Austrian pressure and frantic defending from the visitors that bordered on the agricultural.
Not that Austria screamed assurance.
What they had was the urgency that comes with being under pressure following a tardy start to the group, so they pressed high and their movement was sharper in the early exchanges as their full backs wandered forward to expose the absence of width in Ireland's diamond.
They had three chances inside the opening five minutes that left Ireland on the back foot knocking the ball behind for corners and hanging on for dear life. Lumbering attacker Janko tested Darren Randolph from their clearest opening.

Whelan suffered a thigh issue that forced him off with the SOS sent out for David Meyler. He spent a couple of minutes at the base of the diamond in front of the back four but it clearly wasn't going to work so competitive debutant Harry Arter was switched inside next to him with McClean and Jeff Hendrick splitting wide and Wes Hoolahan operating behind lone striker Walters in a 4-2-3-1.

McClean had started the match playing off Walters and did get away one right footed shot but Ireland were struggling to execute the plan.
Still, they had to live on their nerves in the new set-up with a brilliant last ditch Coleman tackle denying Arnautovic before Ciaran Clark made a goalline clearance to block Janko after Marcel Sabitzer almost capped a slick passage with a deft chip over Randolph came back off the bar.
Ireland did have a reasonable spell before the interval, though, and they could have seized a lead against the run of play from an excellent team move with Robbie Brady getting forward from left full to engineer a one two with Norwich colleague Hoolahan and then send in a terrific cross that Walters scooped over the bar from close range. A glorious chance.
The fear was that Ireland wouldn't create another.

But that view paid too much respect to an Austrian operation that have creaked since they travelled to France with high expectations and failed miserably. Their star turn, David Alaba, is out of sorts and the fault lines were evident before the break.
It was just a matter of Ireland being good enough to expose them. And, three minutes after the restart, they struck with a rapid fire break.
Meyler started the move by gaining possession in his own half, pushing red shirts aside and cleverly switching the ball inside Hoolahan. Austria were stretched, and Hoolahan took the time to gather himself and spot McClean racing unguarded down the left side with Florian Klein dragged out of position.

The weight of his through ball was perfect - this again proves the playmaker can make his presence felt on the road - and it invited McClean to bound into the area and drive the ball through the legs of Ramazan Ozcan and into the net. Every element of the goal was fantastic.
Austria were rattled and, suddenly, Ireland played with composure.
Hendrick lifted his performance level several notches and Arter showed a combative streak by getting stuck into proceedings. Walters had a goal disallowed and Hoolahan did waste another situation where Austria had overcommitted and Ireland had men over.
Ciaran Clark's header was hacked off the line in another scramble with Brady's set piece deliveries threatening - he would later blot his copybook with a silly caution for kicking the ball away which rules him out of Wales in March.
That was rash, yet Austria's overall discipline was  dreadful with skipper Julian Baumgartlinger setting the wrong example by fouling himself in the book and risking a second caution for indolently choping down Hoolahan.
Irish teams have a bad habit of ceding the ball in this position and looking for trouble but, as the game entered its final quarter, they had managed to keep the Austrians at arm's length and restrict them to speculative shots from distance.
Hoolahan was replaced by David McGoldrick and a tireless shift from McClean, who had lifted the away end with a rousing run just beforehand, ended due to injury with five minutes remaining. Aiden McGeady got the nod.
Austria huffed and puffed without breaching the line. Shane Duffy won headers, Coleman hustled and harried, Arter and Meyler closed space and Walters bravely attempted to run down the clock.

At the death, the good work was nearly undone when a cross shot found its way to Janko but he was facing the wrong direction and sent the ball off target. The Irish celebration started seconds later, conscious that they are now headed in the right way, sitting top of Group Don 10 points, two clear of Serbia who drew 1-1 in Wales.

Austria: Ozcan, Klein, Dragovic, Hinteregger, Wimmer (Ilsanker 78); Baumgartlinger, Alaba; Schopf (Schaub 58), Sabitzer (Harnik 73), Arnautovic; Janko
Ireland: Randolph, Coleman, Duffy, Clark, Brady; Whelan (Meyler 22); Hendrick, Arter; Hoolahan (McGoldrick 78); McClean (McGeady 85), Walters

IRELAND BEAT GEORGIA IN DUBLIN THANKS TO CAPTAIN COLEMAN

Seamus Coleman's first international goal gave the Republic of Ireland a narrow victory over Georgia in their 2018 World Cup qualifier in Dublin.
Coleman, 27, made a strong run down the right, cut into the box and slotted home after the ball ricocheted into his path thanks to two fortunate rebounds.
It was a victory which the Irish barely deserved from a match which produced little creativity and goalmouth action.
The Republic are one of four Group D teams with four points from two games.

Austria and Wales drew 2-2 in Vienna and Serbia won 3-0 in Moldova in Thursday's other two Group D encounters - suggesting this could be a very competitive group.
For Martin O'Neill's men, this match and Sunday's game with Moldova represent an important few days in their quest to reach the finals in Russia, with anything less than six points a blow to their qualification hopes.
With only the group winners guaranteed an automatic place in the finals, the chance to pick up maximum points against the supposed two weakest teams in the group is crucial to Ireland's ambitions of qualifying for a first World Cup finals since 2002.
The Republic had won all of their previous seven contests with the Georgians, six of them in competitive fixtures, including two one-goal victories in the qualifiers for Euro 2016.
But on Thursday, Georgia, who had lost 2-1 at home to Austria in their opening group game, posed the greater threat in a largely uninspiring first half.
Valeri Kazaishvilli turned and fired a left-foot shot wide of the post in the 17th minute and then the visitors struck the woodwork twice in quick succession with eight minutes of the half remaining.
Levan Mchedlidze thundered a header off the crossbar and when the home side failed to clear, the ball fell to Guram Kashia, whose looping header back over Darren Randolph bounced off the post.
Under-strength Republic battle to three points
The game was the Republic's first since O'Neill signed a deal to continue as manager until the end of the present campaign - and their first competitive home game since reaching the last 16 of Euro 2016.
They started their qualifying campaign with a 2-2 draw in Belgrade last month but Daryl Murphy, the man whose late goal earned them a draw against Serbia, was among eight players ruled out through injury.
Goalkeeper Keiren Westwood, Harry Arter, Stephen Quinn, Kevin Doyle, Aiden McGeady, Anthony Pilkington and Marc Wilson were also absent.
And against a stubborn Georgian side it took an improved second-half performance for O'Neill's team to secure a third win in their last 10 matches.
The Irish showed greater intensity after the resumption and Coleman's strike gave them the boost they needed but scarcely deserved on the balance of play.
James McClean had a header ruled out for offside and the lively West Brom winger later saw another effort cannon off the underside of the bar during a lengthy spell of injury-time caused by a head injury to Robbie Brady, who was forced to retire hurt after receiving treatment following a clash of heads with Georgia defender Solomon Kverkvelia.
The Football Association of Ireland later said Brady was conscious in the dressing room but went to hospital as a precaution for a scan.

IRELAND FIGHTBACK TO EARN 2-2 DRAW IN SERBIA

Ireland had taken the lead early through Jeff Hendrick, but Tadic and Kostic fought back for the Balkans team before Murphy swooped for a late leveller:

Daryl Murphy came off the bench to score a potentially crucial equaliser as the Republic of Ireland started their World Cup qualifying campaign with a battling 2-2 draw against Serbia.
Ireland looked to be heading for defeat with 10 minutes left in Belgrade on Monday, but second-half substitute Murphy headed home Robbie Brady's corner to restore parity for Martin O'Neill's men.
The visitors were ahead for almost an hour following Jeff Hendrick's opener, which found the net via a deflection off Branislav Ivanovic after two minutes.
But on a pitch soaked through by a day of torrential rain, Southampton midfielder Dusan Tadic wreaked havoc in Ireland's penalty area and he provided the assist for Filip Kostic to equalise for Slavoljub Muslin's side.
Tadic then scored from the penalty spot to deservedly make it 2-1 to Serbia, but Ireland rallied late on and Murphy delivered a final twist in a dramatic opening Group D encounter.
Ireland made a great start when Robbie Brady's second-minute free-kick was parried by Pregrag Rajkovic and John O'Shea's cross bounced to Hendrick, whose shot found its way past the goalkeeper via the leg of Branislav Ivanovic.
Serbia attempted to muster a quick comeback and Filip Kostic drew a smart save from Darren Randolph following a mazy run.
Ireland struggled to provide for lone striker Shane Long, but - while dominating possession - the closest Serbia came to finding the net was from a Matija Nastasic shot that trickled wide after a goalmouth scramble.

Despite struggling to get out of their own half Ireland went close to adding a second when Jonathan Walters arrowed a fine header towards goal, only to be thwarted by Rajkovic.
At the other end, Randolph was fortunate not to concede on the stroke of half-time when he parried a cross to the feet of Aleksandar Mitrovic, but the Newcastle United striker did not react quickly enough to level the scores.
Ireland looked brighter after the break but endured a scare when Antonio Rukavina flashed a shot just wide from the edge of the box and shortly after Serbia drew level.
Tadic, who caused Ireland's defence problems throughout, received the ball in the penalty area and flicked it over the head of John O'Shea before presenting Kostic with a simple finish from close range.
Randolph fought to keep Ireland in the game with a good double save from Tadic, but the Southampton man made no mistake in making it 2-1 from the penalty spot after Jonathan Walters brought down Kostic.
It should have been 3-1 when Randolph dropped Filip Mladenovic's shot at the feet of Andrija Pavlovic, but the substitute could only hit the crossbar despite having an empty net to aim at.
James McClean then headed over the crossbar before Rajkovic parried a Long attempt out for a corner, but the ensuing dead ball was whipped in by Brady and clinically headed in by the unmarked Murphy to send Ireland home relieved to have salvaged a point from a game that looked to be slipping away from them.

IRELAND DRAW 1-1 IN BOSNIAN FOG TO BOOST HOPES OF QUALIFYING FOR EURO'S

The Republic of Ireland maintained their hopes of a Euro 2016 spot after they drew with Bosnia-Herzegovina in the play-off first leg in Zenica.

The game appeared in severe danger of being abandoned after half-time when the pitch became shrouded in thick fog.

However the Republic looked to have snatched victory when Robbie Brady hit a precious away goal on 82 minutes.

But Edin Dzeko levelled three minutes later to leave the play-off in the balance going into Monday's second leg.

Republic manager Martin O'Neill will hope the possible return of Shane Long, Jon Walters and John O'Shea will give them impetus for the Dublin contest.

Southampton striker Long may be available again after injury while O'Neill may also welcome back the influential O'Shea and Walters after suspension.

With the Republic having scored the away goal, a 0-0 draw at the Aviva Stadium will be enough to secure the Irish a finals berth in France.

Frantic finish in the fog after early stalemate

Robbie Brady's goal looked set to earn the Republic a precious first-leg victory

Brady struggled for much of the contest as both he and Republic left-back Stephen Ward found Bosnia right-sided midfielder Edin Visca a handful.

The Norwich winger's goal came in his only piece of attacking play of note as he cut inside Toni Sunuci before beating Bosnia's Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic at his near post with a shot from 14 yards.

Brady's goal could hardly be seen from the stands such was the fog that had enveloped the Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica.

At that stage, the Irish - after being second best for most of the contest - looked on course to be in firm control of the play-off going into the second leg.

However, the Republic's left-sided flank was once again exploited three minutes later as Ognjen Vranjes got in behind Ireland substitute James McClean before squaring for Roma star Dzeko to poke past Darren Randolph.

Slack defending by Stoke's Marc Wilson allowed a cross to find Edin Dzeko and the lethal striker duly found the net to leave the first leg at 1-1.

Heading into Monday's return match at The Aviva Stadium, Ireland have the precious away-goal and while that may yet prove to be decisive, don't rule out Bosnia-Herzegovina scoring in Dublin.

However, Martin O'Neill's Ireland do have enough abought them to  get though the play-off tie and qualify for next Summer's Euro Finals.