October 16, (THEWILL) – Brighton youngster, Evan Ferguson, helped to relieve the pressure on Republic of Ireland manager, Stephen Kenny, as he opened the scoring in their 4-0 Euro 2024 qualifying victory over Gibraltar. Ferguson fired in his third international goal in the 8th minute from a Matt Doherty assist.
Celtic winger, Michael Johnston, doubled Ireland’s advantage just before the half-hour mark with his first goal for his country. Wolves defender Doherty headed home a third after the break, before Callum Robinson came off the bench to round off the scoring.
It was only Ireland’s second win of their Group B campaign, but provided welcome relief for under-fire Kenny after the 2-0 home defeat to Greece. While this routine win over minnows Gibraltar will do little to appease Kenny’s critics, it at least avoided any potential embarrassment.
Luton’s Chiedozie Ogbene was Ireland’s main threat down the right flank, providing a constant worry for the Gibraltar backline. Kenny will hope this morale-boosting victory can spark an improved performance away to the Netherlands next month, even if Ireland’s qualification hopes are now over.
The manager’s long-term future remains uncertain, with difficult questions still to be answered despite this straightforward win against an opponent still seeking their first competitive point.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.