Greece too good for Ireland to leave Euro 2024 hopes in jeopardy

Giorgos Masouras dealt a blow to the Republic of Ireland’s chances of qualifying for Euro 2024 as they suffered a 2-1 defeat in Greece.

Masouras, who plays for Olympiakos, scored the winning goal in a game that saw Ireland fail to secure any points from their first two Group B matches. The Irish had briefly equalized through Nathan Collins after Tasos Bakasetas’s penalty, but ultimately they were outplayed by Greece, with Matt Doherty receiving a red card in the dying seconds.

Ireland’s hopes of qualification now seem almost impossible, given their difficult group, which includes France and the Netherlands.

In another Group H match, Northern Ireland put up a valiant fight but ultimately fell to a 1-0 loss against Denmark. Jonas Wind’s goal early in the second half made the difference, and despite a late equalizer being initially awarded to Northern Ireland, it was eventually ruled out by VAR for offside.

The Northern Irish defended admirably against the group’s top seeds, but a mistake in the second half proved costly. Denmark’s victory puts pressure on Northern Ireland to perform in their next match against Kazakhstan. However, manager Michael O’Neill will take encouragement from the performance of his youthful lineup against a tough opponent.