What a way to score your first goal for your country.
The lengthy break in play did nothing to dent Conor Hourihane’s concentration on Tuesday night, when the Republic of Ireland hosted Georgia at the Aviva Stadium in their second Euro 2020 qualifier.
After thirty minutes in which Ireland enjoyed the better of proceedings, Hourihane was gifted the opportunity to give the supporters in attendance something to cheer about just moments after they had protested against the governance of the FAI.
It was far from an easy chance but Hourihane came up with something special, aided by the cleverness of Shane Duffy at the end of the Georgian wall.
Hourihane almost aimed for Duffy, who used all of his physicality to nudge himself into the wall and clear the path for the arcing shot to sail past Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Loria.
After the tennis balls we get the smash hit. Attaboy @conorhourihane #irlgeo #irevgeo #rtesoccer https://t.co/2afD0dnj1z pic.twitter.com/yyW6NjVCbB
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) March 26, 2019
Aston Villa’s Hourihane is a relatively new face in the Ireland squad and has made just a handful of appearances for the Boys in Green thus far.
Although early signs from Mick McCarthy’s second tenure would suggest that he will be a mainstay moving forward, with McCarthy recently admitting that he tried to sign Hourihane on a number of occasions in the past.
“He’s a good footballer, Conor. I always admired him,” McCarthy said, via the Birmingham Mail. “When he was at Barnsley I was looking to sign him but I’d no chance. I think he’s got a lot to offer. His free kicks and corners were terrific. He’s got good delivery, he’s a good player.”
With his strike against Georgia, Hourihane became the first Ireland player to score a direct free kick goal for the national team since Robbie Brady did so against Oman in August 2016.
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