Stephen Kenny admits Ireland only have themselves to blame for Armenia defeat

Stephen Kenny admitted the Republic of Ireland had only themselves to blame after slipping to defeat in their Nations League opener in Armenia.

Ireland squandered first-half chances and were made to pay as Eduard Spertsyan ended their eight-game unbeaten run in spectacular style as he snatched a 1-0 victory for the League B newcomers.

Disappointed manager Kenny said: “Obviously we lost the game, a tight game really overall. It’s not a game that we deserved to lose, you couldn’t say that on the balance of play or the balance of chances, but we’ve lost it and we’ve only got ourselves to blame, so we are disappointed.

“I felt the last 20-25 minutes of the first half, we were really in control, but we didn’t start the second half like that at all. I was disappointed that we didn’t start the second half like we ended the first.

“We seemed to be susceptible to counter-attacks and we found it difficult to break them down. We created some good chances but we didn’t take them, some half-chances, but they didn’t really have any chances bar the offside goal, so it was disappointing overall.”

Spertsyan’s 75th-minute piledriver ultimately settled the game as Ireland were made to pay for the chances they missed before the break and their failure to create much at all after it.

Ireland must re-group quickly with Ukraine and Scotland due to arrive in Dublin for the second and third instalments of this month’s quadruple-header, although the defeat in Yerevan was perhaps their most disappointing result since they were beaten 1-0 a home by Luxembourg in March last year.

However, Kenny is looking forwards rather than behind him.

It's not a game that we deserved to lose, you couldn't say that on the balance of play or the balance of chances,