Republic of Ireland 0-2 England: Ruthless England show Hallgrimsson difficult way forward

As England strolled to a comfortable Nations League victory in the Dublin sunshine, thanks to goals from the evening’s two villains, it was hard to help but think that this was exactly what Heimir Hallgrimsson needed.

Ahead of Saturday, the new Republic of Ireland manager, who has been tasked with breathing new life into an Ireland team that has lost its way under his predecessor Stephen Kenny, admitted he was still getting to know his players.

He will now know them a little better. And more importantly, he will now appreciate the amount of work required if he is to emulate his achievement of leading his native Iceland to the World Cup final.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Hallgrimsson said that to beat England for the third time in their history, Ireland must on the one hand take every opportunity and on the other hand do everything they can to eliminate England.

They did neither. Not only did they miss a collection of presentable chances, the ease with which they allowed England to slice through them for the two goals will have opened Hallgrimsson’s eyes to what he inherited from Kenny.

In the hour before kick-off, Hallgrimsson looked relaxed, with a broad smile on his face and his arms folded as he watched his players perform their pre-match drills.

The atmosphere at the Aviva Stadium has not always been exuberant in recent years, but there was tension in the air as the first competitive match between these teams in Dublin since 1990 kicked off.

And during the opening stages, the Republic of Ireland played as if fuelled by the energy in the stadium, which was noticeably heightened as soon as Jack Grealish and Declan Rice touched the ball.

The spectacle was worthy of a new chapter, but the hosts’ early evening optimism quickly evaporated. Against a much better opponent, they exposed the problems that held this team back: missed chances, inconsistent play patterns and an alarming vulnerability when defending counter-attacks.