Evan Ferguson scored his first goal since November to keep the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League B with a 4-2 aggregate win over Bulgaria.
Ferguson, currently on loan from Brighton to West Ham, scored his fifth goal for his country with 27 minutes remaining before substitute Adam Idah made it 2-1 in the play-off second leg at the Aviva Stadium, adding to his goal against the Republic of Ireland in Plovdiv on Thursday.
As on home soil, the Bulgarians opened the scoring in the first half, this time thanks to midfielder Valentin Antov, but again they were unable to maintain their lead, despite the predictions of the Republic coach Heimir Hallgrimsson about a tense fight, the Bulgarians showed smooth and organized football.
Defender Jake O'Brien made perhaps the first good start of his career when he turned on Robbie Brady's corner with a powerful header in the fourth minute, but goalkeeper Plamen Iliev reacted with a superb save.
With striker Mikey Johnston active on the right flank and linking up well with Ferguson, Troy Parrott and Finn Azaz (defender Simeon Petrov had to block early on to stop Johnston finishing off a successful attack), Ireland were in comfortable control of the game.
On 24 minutes, Parrott turned Brady's cross onto the post and Ireland responded, but it was the visitors who took the lead on the half-hour mark when Georgi Milanov's volley from Kirill Despodov's corner was blocked by Nathan Collins, Antov headed the ball past Caoimhin Kelleher for his side's first attempt at goal.
Parrott fed Brady into the roof of Iliev's net and defender Fabian Nurnberger cleared another O'Brien header off the line as the hosts looked to get back into the game but went into the break frustrated.
Johnston should have done better when Parrott picked him out into space on 49 minutes but he failed to connect with his right foot and three minutes later the West Brom midfielder saw another effort saved after a good combination with Parrott and Ferguson.
Azaz fired wide after O'Brien headed away Brady's free-kick, and Iliev snatched the ball from the far corner of Ferguson's goal on 55 minutes after Parrott had denied Petrov the chances – or at least half-chances – that had come so often.
Kelleher made his first save of the game when he kept out Nurnberger's effort two minutes later and his side were back in the game on 63 minutes when Ferguson performed a superb one-two with Azaz before firing the ball onto the crossbar.
Ireland secured the win with six minutes remaining when Azaz passed to Mark Sykes on the left flank, who turned and crossed the ball to the far post, where substitute Idah fired home on the volley.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
