Turkey 1-0 Republic of Ireland
- Published
Debutant Scott Hogan missed a great Republic chance in the first half in Antalya
The Republic of Ireland's first game since failing to qualify for the World Cup finals saw them going down to a 1-0 away friendly defeat against Turkey.
Mehmet Topal volleyed in the winner on 52 minutes after slack Republic marking as they failed to defend a corner.
Debutant Scott Hogan missed the best Irish chance in the first half as a heavy touch left him a tight angle.
But the Turks, who also missed out on World Cup qualification, created the majority of the openings in Antalya.
West Ham defender Declan Rice, along with Aston Villa striker Hogan, was a debutant in Republic boss Martin O'Neill's starting line-up.
Captain Seamus Coleman was welcomed back after his double leg-break, as the team showed eight changes from the 5-1 World Cup play-off thumping by Denmark in November.
Rice, 19, performed well as he started in a three-man Republic defence before switching to midfield in the second half.
Wolves full-back Matt Doherty was also handed a debut as he replaced Coleman midway through the second half with Preston forward Sean Maguire making his first start before being withdrawn in the 62nd minute.
Republic struggle for fluency in Antalya
Rice started alongside Shane Duffy and Kevin Long in a three-man defence, with Coleman and James McClean operating as wing-backs - but for the most part, the Republic's playing method was typically direct.
Granted, Jeff Hendrick's defence-splitting pass did set up Hogan's great chance in the 18th minute but the striker could only hit the side-netting after pushing the ball too far as he rounded Turkey keeper Volkan Babacan.
The Irish also had a penalty shout before the break after Maguire appeared to be clipped by Hasan Ali Kaldirim but Turkey largely dominated in the first half as both Emre Akbaba and Everton striker Cenk Tosun tested Colin Doyle on a couple of occasions.
After the break, the Republic were handed a warning as Freiburg defender Caglar Soyuncu missed a glorious chance from a corner.
Five minutes later, Doyle, earning his second cap almost 11 years after his debut, was beaten as totally unmarked Turkey skipper Topal volleyed to the net from eight yards after Yusuf Yazici's cross following a short corner.
The Republic rarely threatened to equalise with one McClean dart into the penalty on 75 minutes their most dangerous moment as the Turks held on with the minimum of fuss.
'Pleased with what we did'
Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill: "From our viewpoint, it was a good game to play in because Turkey demonstrated their ability on the ball.
"We had the best chance in the first half and restricted Turkey to a number of shots outside the penalty area, and we might have had a penalty.
"We conceded from a set-piece, a corner kick, which is disappointing, but considering a number of our players haven't played and we had a system we haven't really played together, I was pleased with a lot of what we did.
"But obviously there's a lot still to work on.
"Considering it was Declan Rice's debut, and he's 19 years of age, it was an impressive performance from an impressive young man."
- Published18 March 2018
- Published25 May 2014
