Republic of Ireland v Israel: Second game ‘not going to be a friendly’ – Heimir Hallgrimsson

The Israel fixtures have dominated this international window with the Republic of Ireland urged to withdraw from the games by the ‘Stop The Game’ campaign – organised by the pressure group Irish Sport for Palestine – who staged protests outside the Aviva Stadium before the Austria game.

The first half of Thursday’s game was also briefly interrupted by a tennis ball protest and a pitch invader.

Hallgrimsson said he had worried prior to the match about the atmosphere inside Aviva Stadium but said the squad were buoyed by the support they received.

“Yeah, I’m not going to lie. I didn’t know what to expect,” said the 59-year-old.

“Obviously, the ‘Stop the Game’ protest is loud. I don’t know how many but it’s been loud, but it was just good to see the support from the fans and I just want to repeat the appreciation for people showing up and showing support tonight, it helps us a lot.

“It gives us even more pride to play for the country.”

Before last week’s game in Debrecen, Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu made himself unavailable for both Israel matches, saying he felt “it would be wrong to participate”.

On the eve of the Israel game, the Republic of Ireland players’ vote on whether to play the game passed by what Football Association of Ireland (FAI) chief executive David Courell called a “significant majority”.

When asked if he feels the support during the Austria game will help the players heading into the second Israel fixture, Hallgrimsson said: “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask them.

“I hope so. I hope we all feel more appreciated than probably before this match. If that answers the question, I think we feel more appreciated.”