'Surviving as a group': Ireland coach believes team stronger after tough window

[p]The matches had been under the ‌spotlight since the sides were drawn together in February, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ireland/Gfyqk1aG/"]Ireland[/a] one of Europe's most outspoken ‌critics of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/israel/rqK1ypob/"]Israel[/a]'s war in Gaza. There have been numerous protests in ‌Ireland asking for the team not to fulfil the fixtures with Israel.[/p][p]Such was ‌the opposition to the Irish team playing Israel that the Football Association ‌of Ireland chose to hold the game behind closed doors in Backa Topola, a small Serbian town of around 12,000 people, rather than in Dublin.[/p][p]Reserve goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bazunu-gavin/EBDu7nbJ/"]Gavin Bazunu[/a], who ‌declined to be in the squad for the first ⁠game against Israel, will again be ‌missing when the two sides meet in Serbia on Sunday, and captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/o-shea-dara/4ETEZJ7p/"]Dara O’Shea[/a] ​will also miss out due to the birth of his child.[/p][image alt="Ireland - Israel win probability" id="254bc0ac-40ad-46dc-b347-82aff6b8f8de" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="d2fa5755-efac-4f78-b657-0a864a75e3fd" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p][b]“Football-wise, what's to come most of all is to control our focus ​level and keep the focus on that one (Sunday’s game against Israel), don't lose it,” the Icelandic coach told a press conference on Saturday.[/b][/p][p][b]“There's been a ⁠lot of emotions from the ​people in Ireland about this, and obviously that affects the players as well. We want to do good, but it's always going to be a challenge when the environment is as noisy as it is.”[/b][/p][h2]Double protest[/h2][p]Thursday’s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/austria-naHiWdnt/ireland-Gfyqk1aG/?mid=lUmO9MDt"]2-2[/a] draw with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/austria/naHiWdnt/"]‌Austria[/a] in Dublin was briefly disrupted by two protests, but a superb goal from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/parrott-troy/K6H9Uptn/"]Troy Parrott[/a] against the Austrians and four points from their last two games have dampened the political controversy around the Irish team.[/p][embed guid="73a9d310-ddc6-4145-ae17-e395567e6d07" url="https://x.com/IrelandFootball/status/2106128539191763437" social-type="twitter" /][p]The FAI is continuing to investigate allegations that Irish players [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/idah-adam/fqlcUxV3/"]Adam Idah[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/abankwah-james/QgfEnOwH/"]James Abankwah[/a] were racially abused in Sunday’s 3-0 win over the Israelis in Hungary.[/p][p][b]“It just goes to a process both in our departments and then UEFA to look at,” Hallgrimsson said.[/b][/p][p][b]“I think it was something that was reported by both teams. I ‌just hope that we can focus on football and that football will ​be the winner after this.”[/b][/p][p]The 59-year-old said the difficulties the team had ‌faced would strengthen them.[/p][p][b]“Surviving this camp, coming out of it together as one, would be a massive win for me, that is coming from my heart,” he said.[/b][/p][p][b]“I think all the challenges that this team has gone through, all the criticism, yeah, I think just surviving as ⁠a group after this game, that ⁠will be a big win ‌for me and for this group, (and) for the (football) association.”[/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/ireland-Gfyqk1aG/israel-rqK1ypob/?mid=WA8jeNbm"]Follow Ireland's next game with Flashscore.[/a][/p]