Hallgrimsson rues painful Republic of Ireland defeat

The Republic of Ireland's loss on Saturday dropped them to third place in Group B3, one point behind Kosovo. The result sets up a decisive match against the same opponents in Dublin on Tuesday.

Hallgrimsson lamented his side's inability to clear the corner from which Kalajdzic scored. He said, "We actually did have a lot of chances from that second ball in the box but it kind of never fell for our players in a good position," adding, "They have a corner that they score from on the second or third touch. That's the game at this level. You need to be switched on and focused every second of the game."

Securing a second win over Kosovo would move Ireland into second place, earn a promotion play‑off and place them in pot two for next month’s Euro 2028 qualifying draw, Hallgrimsson said.

The Irish side previously suffered a 1-0 defeat in Pristina in September, and Hallgrimsson stressed the need to finish strongly at home, stating, "It was always that [Kosovo] game that was more important, but we were just so close to winning this one and being able to win the group but this is football at this level, it is all down to details."