We do not have time to dwell on Ukraine defeat – Republic boss Stephen Kenny

Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny has told his players they do not have time to be hurt over their pointless start to the new Nations League campaign.

Ireland slipped to a second successive 1-0 defeat on Wednesday night when a much-changed Ukraine side won at the Aviva Stadium four days after Kenny’s men lost in Armenia to leave them at the foot of League B, Group 1.

The manager, whose side welcome Scotland to Dublin on Saturday, said: “We’re hurting at the moment and we don’t have time for that because such is the quick turn-around here. We’ve got to get ourselves ready for Scotland.”

Asked if he was surprised his side had not opened their account, Kenny added: “We wanted to do that and we haven’t done that, that’s for sure, particularly with the game in Armenia.

“We always knew that Ukraine would be a tough game – they got to the quarter-finals of the European Championships, they’re a quality team, so that was always going to be a tough game. But of course we would want points. I’m just raging that we didn’t get at least one win there in the two narrow games. “

Kenny’s men have now not won any of the 12 games they have played in the competition and his hopes of topping the group lie in tatters.

Ukraine ultimately secured victory courtesy of half-time substitute Viktor Tsygankov’s 48th-minute free-kick, which caught out keeper Caoimhin Kelleher as it curled towards his far post without getting the touch he expected from any of the men it passed.

Shane Duffy might have snatched a draw 11 minutes from time when he rattled the crossbar with a header, but it was the visitors, roared on by 3,500 Ukrainians now living in Ireland among a crowd of 40,111 at the Aviva Stadium, who prevailed.

Kenny said: “The goal itself was