Republic of Ireland vs England LIVE: Nations League result and final score as Lee Carsley makes winning start
Republic of Ireland 0-2 England: Declan Rice and Jack Grealish were unpopular goalscorers in Dublin in an impressive first-half display under Carsley
England made a winning start under interim boss Lee Carsley as Declan Rice and Jack Grealish scored against the Republic of Ireland in their Nations League opener in Dublin.
In England’s first match since the Euro 2024 final, marking the start of the new era after Gareth Southgate’s resignation, the Three Lions made a confident start in a fiery atmosphere and took a deserved lead through goals from players who made unpopular returns to the Aviva. Rice and Grealish, having represented Ireland at youth level, were booed by the home crowd but struck against them within the opening 26 minutes.
Grealish’s second goal, set up by Rice, came from a flowing England move that summed up their impressive first-half display under Carsley. However, England lost their rhythm after the break as Ireland grew into the contest, in what could have been a tribute act to some of Southgate’s former side’s performances at the recent European Championships.
The visitors, though, were largely untroubled by a limited Ireland side and there were opportunities for Morgan Gibbs-White and Angel Gomes to make their England debuts late on. Follow all the rection and analysis from England’s win over Republic of Ireland in the Nations League
Team news! Republic of Ireland v England
Tino Livramento, Morgan Gibbs-White, Noni Madueke and Angel Gomes are all named on the bench and could make their England debuts in Dublin.
Team news! Republic of Ireland v England
England team to face Ireland: Pickford, Alexander-Arnold, Maguire, Guehi, Colwill, Mainoo, Rice, Gordon, Grealish, Saka, Kane
As expected, Lee Carsley hands starts to the recalled Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire in his first starting line-up as England interim manager.
Maguire partners Marc Guehi in defence, with Trent Alexander-Arnold starting at right back but able to push into midfield. Levi Colwill is on the left.
In midfield, Declan Rice starts on his return to Dublin, along with Kobbie Mainoo. In front of them, Anthony Gordon gets the nod on the left, with Buakyo Saka on the right.
Does that leave Grealish in a free role? Harry Kane captains the side and starts up front.
Is Republic of Ireland v England on TV tonight? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Nations League fixture
With just over an hour until kick-off now, a reminder of how you can watch today’s match.
When is Republic of Ireland vs England?
Republic of Ireland vs England kicks off at 5pm BST on Saturday 7 September at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV 1, with coverage starting at 4pm. Subscribers will also be able to watch via ITV X online and on the app.
Is Ireland v England on TV tonight? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch
The Three Lions begin their Nations League campaign away to an old rival in the first match of Lee Carsley’s tenure
England Nations League fixture list
Ahead of the line-ups being announced soon, here’s a rundown of all of England’s group-phase fixtures in the Nations League.
10 September – England vs Finland, Wembley Stadium
10 October – England vs Greece, Wembley Stadium
13 October – Finland vs England, Helsinki Olympic Stadium
14 November – Greece vs England, Athens Olympic Stadium
17 November – England vs Republic of Ireland, Wembley Stadium
How the new Nations League system works
Each team faces each other home and away in the group phase.
The League A winners and second-placed teams will enter home and away quarter-finals against each other. Victorious teams will take up the four spots in the finals, while fourth-placed teams in Leagues A and B will be relegated. Those battling in League C have to work a little harder for safety with the two bottom-placed sides plummeting to League D.
On the flipside, all four winners from Leagues B and C will be automatically promoted, with the two League D winners also moving up. Further promotions will be decided via two-legged play-offs, between the third-ranked teams in League A and runners-up in League B, as well as the third-ranked teams in League B and runners-up in League C.
The two best ranked fourth-place teams in League C will meet the two runners-up from League D to decide who enters the next competition in the higher division.
The return of the Nations League: Groups, favourites and what’s new in 2024/25
Everything you need to know ahead of the Nations League’s return
Nations League Group B2
England have dropped down to Nations League league ‘B’, the second tier of the League. They are in group B2, along with Greece, Finland and, of course, Ireland.
They face Finland at Wembley on Tuesday, while Ireland host Greece in Dublin.
The next round of fixtures takes place between 10 October and 15 October.
Halgrimsson comments on England
“I hope we will have the same result tomorrow, of course,” said Halgrimsson, referring to Iceland’s 2-1 win at Euro 2016.
“We were just speaking in the car on the way in – that night was special. Everything we did that night succeeded, whether it was tactical, taking our chances, defending our goal, and nothing England tried that night succeeded, so it was just one of those days.
““Hopefully it will come again tomorrow. But we know, even if we have our best game, it still isn’t sure it will lead into a victory against a good team like England.
“We need to make sure we have the best game we can tomorrow and see what that gives us,” he added.
“It’s a totally different team. The individual quality, the technical skills, the speed, of this team is much higher than the one we played.
“Also they are coming off from a good tournament and I would say the biggest difference is they have stayed together for two months now, and we have three days to prepare.
“That is going to be challenging as their routine is so drilled, whether it’s on the pitch or off the pitch. Coming from a good U21 campaign as well, they come on a high here, players playing Champions League day in, day out. It’s good individuals for sure we are facing.”
New Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson hoping to mastermind another England upset
New Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson is hoping lightning strikes twice as he plots England’s downfall once again.
The 57-year-old was Iceland co-manager with Lars Lagerback when they masterminded a famous 2-1 last-16 victory over England at Euro 2016, in the process sending Roy Hodgson’s men to one of the lowest points in the country’s recent history.
A little more than eight years on, Hallgrimsson is looking to do much the same for Ireland in his first game since replacing Stephen Kenny at the helm when England head for the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
New Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson hoping to mastermind another England upset
Hallgrimsson was co-manager of the Iceland side that famously knocked England out of the Euro 2016 finals.
Notable Ireland v England matches
As well as that meeting at Italia ‘90, there have been plenty of other memorable matches between these two, some for all the wrong reasons.
Two years before the 1990 World Cup, the teams met at the 1988 European Championship, with Ireland winning 1-0 thanks to a Ray Houghton header. Charlton later remarked: “Somebody once said that fortune favours the brave, and God, our lads were brave this afternoon”.
A meeting at Lansdowne Road in 1995 is the most infamous fixture between the two, with the fixture abandoned after England fans caused riots having seen their side go 1-0 down in the opening 22 minutes.
England v Ireland head-to-head
England and Ireland have only met 17 times in the past, with the first match dating back to 1946. The Three Lions have won six of these matches, with Ireland winning two and nine ending as draws.
Perhaps the most notable meeting between the two came at the 1990 World Cup, when Bobby Robson’s side drew 1-1 to an Ireland team managed by English World Cup winner Jack Charlton in Group F.
The last meeting between the two came in November 2020, when England won 3-0 in a friendly at Wembley courtesy of goals from Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
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