The Republic of Ireland drew 1-1 with Israel in their second Nations League meeting, with Troy Parrott’s penalty cancelled out by Dor Peretz in a behind-closed-doors match in Serbia.
Parrott put the Republic ahead from the spot in the 39th minute, but Peretz equalised two minutes after half-time to ensure the points were shared.
The result leaves the Republic of Ireland third in Nations League Group B3, level on points with second-placed Kosovo.
The match was staged at the 4,500-capacity TSC Arena in Backa Topola, rather than in the Republic of Ireland, after the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) said in June there were “operational challenges that could impact on the delivery of the game on home soil”.
The fixture was the second between the teams to be surrounded by controversy. Tensions increased at half-time when a confrontation broke out near the tunnel, leading to a heated exchange between players from both sides.
The Israeli Government later accused Republic of Ireland players of “moral blindness” after they bowed their heads during Israel’s national anthem, as they had done before Monday’s opening match.
On the pitch, Parrott continued his impressive international scoring record. The forward has now scored 10 goals in his past seven competitive internationals.
Israeli journalists barred from post-match briefings
Before kick-off, UEFA confirmed that two Israeli journalists would not be allowed to attend the post-match press conferences. The decision followed disruption at the Republic of Ireland’s pre-match media briefing on Saturday.
That news conference was ended early after an Israeli journalist alleged that players from Israel had claimed Republic of Ireland players racially abused them during the match in Hungary last weekend.
The journalist said a derogatory term had been used. Sky Sports chose not to repeat the term, but reported that it was not associated with antisemitism or hostility towards Israel.
An Irish press officer rejected the allegation, saying: “That’s completely untrue,” before bringing the briefing to an early conclusion.
Serbian police were called after the press conference ended following an allegation of assault by an Israeli journalist. The allegation related to an FAI press officer taking the microphone from the journalist.
Sky Sports News understands that police took no further action.
