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Finland national football team
Nations League | League B
Oct 14, 2020 at 5pm UK
 
Republic of Ireland national football team

Finland
1 - 0
Rep. Ireland

Jensen (67')
Jensen (42')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Connolly (81')

Brighton striker Aaron Connolly back in Republic of Ireland squad

The 20-year-old was withdrawn hours before kick-off in Bratislava.

Aaron Connolly could line up against Finland on Wednesday evening, six days after being ruled out of the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2020 play-off semi-final in Slovakia under coronavirus protocols.

Manager Stephen Kenny was dealt a major blow when the 20-year-old Brighton striker, who had been selected to start the game, and Norwich counterpart Adam Idah had to be withdrawn from the squad because a member of non-playing staff had tested positive for Covid-19.

Ireland ultimately lost the tie on penalties and, to rub salt into the wound, the Football Association revealed on the team's return from Bratislava that the test in question had provided a "false positive" result, meaning the pair could have played after all.

An FAI statement on Monday morning said: "Republic of Ireland striker Aaron Connolly has rejoined the squad ahead of the UEFA Nations League match against Finland on Wednesday.

"Connolly has been given permission to rejoin the squad by the HSE (Health Service Executive) and travelled back to Dublin this morning."

The two players had to sit out because they had been sitting within two metres of the supposedly infected staff member on the flight over, with Connolly, it was later revealed, just 10 centimetres too close.

Nineteen-year-old frontman Idah had already been given the all-clear to travel back to Dublin in the wake of Sunday's 0-0 Nations League draw with Wales as Kenny was forced to reshape his squad after another raft of withdrawals.

John Egan, Callum Robinson, Callum O'Dowda, Alan Browne and Derrick Williams were all missing from a matchday squad which was reduced to just 18 players for the game at the Aviva Stadium after an unnamed played tested positive.

Their ranks were further depleted when defender Kevin Long had to leave the field with a badly swollen eye after a clash with Wales striker Kieffer Moore, and midfielder James McClean was later sent off for a second bookable offence.

Kenny, who was already without the injured Seamus Coleman, James McCarthy, David McGoldrick, Harry Arter and Darragh Lenihan, has also called up West Brom defender Dara O'Shea and Derby's Jason Knight, who were on Under-21s duty in Pisa ahead of Thursday's European Championship qualifier against Italy, and QPR's Ryan Manning and Portsmouth's Ronan Curtis.

Ireland have taken just two of the first nine Nations League points on offer – they drew 1-1 in Bulgaria before the stalemate against Ryan Giggs' men either side of a 1-0 home defeat by Finland – and are yet to win in four attempts under their new manager.

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League A1

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Q Portugal Portugal642014
Q Croatia Croatia62228
3 Scotland flag Scotland62137
4 Poland Poland61144

League A2

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Q France France641113
Q Italy Italy641113
3 Belgium Belgium61144
4 Israel Israel61144

League A3

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Q Germany Germany642014
Q Netherlands Netherlands62319
3 Hungary Hungary61326
4 Bosnia Bosnia H'vina60242

League A4

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Q Spain Spain651016
Q Denmark Denmark62228
3 Serbia Serbia61326
4 Switzerland Switzerland60242

League B1

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Q Czech Republic Czech Republic632111
2 Ukraine Ukraine62228
3 Georgia Georgia62137
4 Albania national flag Albania62137

League B2

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Q England flag England650115
2 Greece Greece650115
3 Ireland Rep. Ireland62046
4 Finland Finland60060

League B3

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Q Norway Norway641113
2 Austria Austria632111
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League B4

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Q Wales flag Wales633012
2 Turkey Turkey632111
3 Iceland Iceland62137
4 Montenegro Montenegro61053

League C1

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Q Sweden Sweden651016
2 Slovakia Slovakia641113
3 Estonia Estonia61144
4 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan60151

League C2

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Q Romania Romania550015
2 Kosovo flag Kosovo540112
3 Cyprus Cyprus62046
4 Lithuania Lithuania60060

League C3

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Q Northern Ireland flag N. Ireland632111
2 Bulgaria Bulgaria62319
3 Belarus Belarus61417
4 Luxembourg flag Luxembourg60333

League C4

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Q Macedonia N. Macedonia651016
2 Armenia Armenia62137
3 Faroe Islands Faroe Islands61326
4 Latvia Latvia61144

League D1

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Q San Marino flag San Marino42117
2 Gibraltar flag Gibraltar41306
3 Liechtenstein flag Liechtenstein40222

League D2

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Q Republic of Moldova Moldova43019
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