Republic of Ireland 0-2 England: Ruthless England show Hallgrimsson tough road ahead

As England strolled to a comfortable Nations League victory in the Dublin sunshine courtesy of goals from the evening’s two pantomime villains, it was difficult not to think that this was just what Heimir Hallgrimsson needed to see.

In the build-up to Saturday, the new Republic of Ireland boss, charged with breathing new into an Irish team that lost its way under his predecessor Stephen Kenny, admitted he was still getting to know his players.

He will know them a little better now. More importantly, he will now appreciate the volume of work required if he is to emulate his feat in guiding his native Iceland to the World Cup finals.

In his pre-match news conference on Friday, Hallgrimsson said that in order to beat England for just the third time in history, the Republic of Ireland needed to take their chances at one end and be ultra-tight to shut England out at the other.

They did neither. Not only did they spurn a collection of presentable chances, the ease with which they allowed England to cut through them for the two goals will have opened Hallgrimsson’s eyes to what he has inherited from Kenny.

In the hour leading up to kick-off, Hallgrimsson cut a relaxed figure, all smiles and arms folded, watching on as his players went through their pre-game drills.

In recent years, the Aviva Stadium hasn’t always boasted the most raucous atmosphere, but there was electricity in the air as the first competitive match between these sides in Dublin since 1990 began.

And during the opening exchanges, the Republic of Ireland played as though fuelled by the energy inside the stadium which intensified remarkably any time Jack Grealish and Declan Rice touched the ball.

The spectacle was worthy of a new chapter but the hosts’ early-evening optimism soon faded. Against vastly superior opposition, the laid bare the issues which have kept this team back: missed chances, disjointed patterns of play an alarming vulnerability when defending counter-attacks.