For the first time since taking over as Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson, you could sense a genuine unhappiness as he reflected on what transpired over the opening 45 minutes against Canada.
Yes, there was an experimental look to the initial XI that started the friendly in Montreal and while the visitors improved on the resumption to level matters courtesy of Chiedozie Ogbene, Hallgrimsson nevertheless honed in on that first half with Ireland falling behind after a Jake O’Brien own goal.
“It was unlike everything we have done in recent games,” said the manager, when speaking to RTÉ Sport’s Tony O’Donoghue.
“We talked about it at half time and it was the first time that I’ve been really disappointed with the team’s performance. Everything was flat, there was no decision making, we were waiting for what they were going to do and then reacting to that.
“At the break we had to change it; we had to be braver going forward and we had to press. Just be quicker doing everything. The decision making was better in the second half and it was black and white for me.”
Hallgrimsson referenced the players “being sluggish in the warm-up” as a possible reason for the initial flatness.
“Maybe it was the humidity, the heat, or maybe our training has been too tough,” he added.
“They deserved to score and were lucky to go 1-0 down at half-time.”
And then came that chat, the debrief, a case of things having to change.
League of Ireland debutants: Adam Brennan, Kian Leavy, and Dawson Devoy
Hallgrimsson got a response.
“As much as I was unhappy with the first half, I was much happier with the second, really happy,” he remarked.
“I think with Scalesy [Liam] and Jamie McGrath coming in, we got a more more balanced performance, players were braver in decision making.
“We could have stolen it but I think it would have been a theft. We were happy with the draw but it would have been nice to steal it at the end. We had the best two chances in the game with Dawson [Devoy] and Mason Melia but they also had good chances. Let’s say it’s a good draw.”
All’s well that ends well then on a night when the aforementioned Devoy went straight into the XI, the first LOI player to be capped by the senior team since Jack Byrne in November 2020.
As the game ticked towards its conclusion, Hallgrimsson was able to hand out further debuts with a strong League of Ireland flavour.
Along with the Portugal-based Joe Hodge, St Pat’s attacking midfielder Kian Leavy and Shamrock Rovers’ teenage winger Adam Brennan were also introduced.
Meanwhile there were first starts for recent debutants Jaden Umeh and Corrie Ndaba.
The coach clearly seeing the benefits of extending the net as he looks towards the Nations League in the autumn.
“I’m really happy with the players that came with us; we had 21 involved in Spain, 27 in these camps. It would have been easy for us to make it a joke camp after a long season, players are tired, and after that defeat in Czechia.
“We used this as 24 days in camp; we used it to think about the future and to deepen the squad. This camp will not only benefit us now but also in the future.”
Ireland’s equaliser came when Ogbene was on hand to tap in the rebound after Troy Parrott’s penalty miss.
And the goalscorer, who spent last season on loan at Sheffield United, revealed that he was ready to pounce if an opportunity came his way.
Ireland goalscorer Chiedozie Ogbene on being ready to pounce after Troy Parrott’s penalty was saved against Canada and his high hopes for the future of this Ireland group #rtesport COYBIG @IrelandFootball pic.twitter.com/jf4wZ41V4b
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 6, 2026
“I had confidence that Troy was going to score. I try to mimic his run up and see what happens. I was outside the box, mimicked his run up, I was fortunate the ball landed on my feet and I was able tap it in.
“We were 1-0 down so you just have to be optimistic that something is going to land for you. I had a bit of luck in the goal but I can only do what I can control.”
Ogbene also welcomed the new faces that got their chance to shine in these end-of-season camps, saying: “All these guys deserve to be here, they showed well in training and there was a good feeling about this camp.
“I have goose bumps in my stomach for the future of Ireland. I’m just so excited.”
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