Chiedozie Ogbene and Nathan Collins left to rue slow start as slick England make them pay

Republic of Ireland attacker Chiedozie Ogbene was left ruing a slow start as a slick England eased to a 2-0 win in the Uefa Nations League B opener at Aviva Stadium.

The Dublin venue was rocking pre-match, buoyed by the opposition and also by the fact that their teamsheet contained Declan Rice and Jack Grealish, who had both worn the Irish jersey at different levels in the past.

By the 26th minute however, the pair had their name on the scoresheet and while Ireland had a few sights of goal in the second half, Lee Carsley's side looked extremely comfortable in what was his first game as interim manager.

New Irish head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson had less of an enjoyable first day in office, and Ogbene pointed to those early stages as the crucial period.

"I think we gave ourselves a hard battle from day one," he told RTÉ Sport afterwards.

"The first 20 minutes, just a poor start, two balls in behind cost us the game ultimately.