Evan Ferguson scored his first objective since November because the Republic of Eire preserved their Nations League B standing with a 4-2 mixture victory over Bulgaria.
Ferguson, presently on mortgage at West Ham from Brighton, claimed his fifth senior worldwide objective with 27 minutes remaining earlier than substitute Adam Idah struck after coming off the bench to safe a 2-1 play-off second-leg win in Dublin.
Simply as that they had performed on house soil in Plovdiv on Thursday, the Bulgarians took a first-half lead, this time by way of midfielder Valentin Antov, however once more they had been unable to defend it.
Whereas Bulgaria hunch into League C, the Republic keep in League B and discovered their ultimate World Cup qualifying opponents after Portugal claimed a Nations League quarter-final win over Denmark.
Republic rally after first-half setback
Defender Jake O’Brien might need marked his first aggressive begin in fashion when he met Robbie Brady’s fourth-minute nook with a agency downward header, however noticed keeper Plamen Iliev make a great response save.
With winger Mikey Johnston terrorising the Bulgarians down the appropriate and linking effectively with Ferguson, Troy Parrott and Finn Azaz – defender Simeon Petrov had earlier needed to make a well timed block to forestall Johnston from ending off a flowing transfer he had began – Eire had been firmly within the ascendancy.
Parrott turned a Twenty fourth-minute Brady cross on to the foot of the submit as Eire responded, nevertheless it was the guests who took the lead on the half-hour when, after Georgi Milanov’s volley from Kiril Despodov’s nook had been block by Nathan Collins, Antov stabbed the free ball previous Caoimhin Kelleher, his facet’s first try on objective.
Parrott flicked a Brady cross on to the roof of Iliev’s web and full-back Fabian Nurnberger cleared one other O’Brien header off the road because the hosts fought for a manner again into the sport, however they went in on the break pissed off.
Johnston ought to have performed higher after being performed into house by Parrott with 49 minutes gone, however screwed his right-foot shot effectively huge, and the West Brom midfielder noticed one other try smothered at supply three minutes later after linking effectively with Parrott and Ferguson.
Azaz fired huge after O’Brien had headed down a Brady free-kick and Iliev clawed Ferguson’s Fifty fifth-minute strike out of his backside nook after Parrott had robbed Petrov with possibilities – or at the least half-chances – coming thick and quick.
Kelleher made his first save of the evening when he plucked Nurnberger’s shot out of the air two minutes later, and his facet was again in it after 63 minutes when Ferguson performed a fantastically executed one-two with Azaz earlier than lashing the ball into the roof of the web.
Eire wrapped up victory with six minutes remaining when Azaz set Mark Sykes away down the left and he turned again inside earlier than clipping the ball to the far submit for fellow substitute Idah to volley house.
