Republic of Ireland belatedly worked their way to a 3-0 win over Gibraltar thanks to an improved second-half performance that helps to relieve the pressure on manager Stephen Kenny.
Friday’s defeat in Greece left Ireland without a point in Group B and facing an uphill task to reach Euro 2024 after just two matches.
But Gibraltar were the perfect opponents for Kenny’s side having lost all of their previous qualifiers since becoming a competitive international side, and they were unable to halt that record despite Ireland’s sluggish first-half performance.
The hosts were much improved after the break and finally took the lead through substitute Michael Johnston, before Evan Ferguson and Adam Idah powered home headers to finally get Ireland off the mark in their bid to qualify for next summer’s finals in Germany.
What's next for Republic of Ireland?
Republic of Ireland continue their Euro 2024 Qualifying mission away to France on Thursday September 7, kick-off 7.45pm.
They host the Netherlands three days later, with kick-off also at 7.45pm.