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Attendance: 24,766
Switzerland national football team
Euro Champ Qualifying | Group Stage
Oct 15, 2019 at 7.45pm UK
 
Republic of Ireland national football team

2-0

Seferovic (16'), Duffy (93' og.)
FT(HT: 1-0)

Seamus Coleman: 'Ireland capable of qualifying for Euro 2020'

Coleman: 'Ireland capable of qualifying for Euro 2020'
© Reuters
Ireland need to win one of their last two games to qualify automatically from Group D.

Seamus Coleman had already accepted the Republic of Ireland would have to beat either Switzerland or Denmark to qualify for the Euro 2020 finals before it became a mathematical certainty.

Ireland's 0-0 draw in Georgia on Saturday evening and the Danes' 1-0 victory over the Swiss in Copenhagen left the two sides level at the top of Group D, with Switzerland four points behind but having played a game fewer.

But as they set off from Tbilisi ahead of Tuesday's trip to Geneva, skipper Coleman was in bullish mood with a win either over the Swiss or against Denmark in Dublin next month enough to guarantee automatic qualification.

He said: "I do think we're capable of a big result, I've always said that. Over the last few years, we've proven that bar that bad year last year, we are capable of big results.

"We have to go for it anyway Tuesday night. We won't be sitting back – the game might dictate that you might sit back, but we'll be going there looking for the win."

That is exactly the approach Mick McCarthy's men insisted they were adopting before the game at the Boris Paichadze Arena, but they found themselves on the back foot for long periods as Georgia dominated possession without creating clear-cut chances.

Ireland might have won it through a first-half John Egan header which came back off the post, and from two later chances for 19-year-old substitute Aaron Connolly, who lit up the game's dying moments on his senior debut.

However, Coleman was pragmatic when asked if two points had slipped from their grasp.

He said: "Ah look, we wanted to win the game, but then you come back in and you realise you got a point, you got a clean sheet and we're capable of a big result.

"Ideally, we would have liked three points, but it wasn't to be."

Tuesday night's game looks even bigger as a result of what happened in Tbilisi, where Denmark were also held to a 0-0 draw last month, although Coleman is not convinced.

He said: "Well, it does and it doesn't. You go into the game wanting to win and that won't change because of tonight's result.

"We always want to win the game – playing for draws and stuff like that is dangerous anyway, so we always go out and try to win a game and Tuesday night will be no different.

"Look, we're going to play a top team, but I believe in the lads and if we can be a little bit more composed, we can get a result."

If there was an element of disappointment on the final whistle in Georgia, there was also a frisson of excitement at Connolly's impressive cameo.

Coleman said: "He stretched them, he looked confident, he had a couple of chances – not clear-cut chances by any means, but he's dangerous.

"He's a good lad, he's got that quiet confidence as well. Without putting too much pressure on him, we're delighted to have him and hopefully he can have a big future for us."

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Aaron Connolly in action for Brighton & Hove Albion on July 24, 2018
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Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain870121
Q Scotland flag Scotland852117
3 Norway Norway832311
4 Georgia Georgia82248
5 Cyprus Cyprus80080

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q France France871022
Q Netherlands Netherlands860218
3 Greece Greece841313
4 Ireland Rep. Ireland82066
5 Gibraltar flag Gibraltar80080

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England862020
Q Italy Italy842214
3 Ukraine Ukraine842214
4 Macedonia N. Macedonia82248
5 Malta flag Malta80080

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Turkey Turkey852117
Q Croatia Croatia851216
3 Wales flag Wales833212
4 Armenia Armenia82248
5 Latvia Latvia81073

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Albania national flag Albania843115
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic843115
3 Poland Poland832311
4 Republic of Moldova Moldova824210
5 Faroe Islands Faroe Islands80262

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Belgium Belgium862020
Q Austria Austria861119
3 Sweden Sweden831410
4 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan82157
5 Estonia Estonia80171

Group G

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Hungary Hungary853018
Q Serbia Serbia842214
3 Montenegro Montenegro832311
4 Lithuania Lithuania81346
5 Bulgaria Bulgaria80444

Group H

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Denmark Denmark1071222
Q Slovenia Slovenia1071222
3 Finland Finland1060418
4 Kazakhstan Kazakhstan1060418
5 Northern Ireland flag N. Ireland103079
6 San Marino flag San Marino1000100

Group I

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Romania Romania1064022
Q Switzerland Switzerland1045117
3 Israel Israel1043315
4 Belarus Belarus1033412
5 Kosovo flag Kosovo1025311
6 Andorra flag Andorra100282

Group J

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal10100030
Q Slovakia Slovakia1071222
3 Luxembourg flag Luxembourg1052317
4 Iceland Iceland1031610
5 Bosnia Bosnia H'vina103079
6 Liechtenstein flag Liechtenstein1000100


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