In their first game of the campaign, Ireland served up a stirring second-half Dublin display, a desperate but successful rescue mission, which had their higher-ranked opponents on the rack, leaving the Dublin crowd and the team united in a spirit which echoed the team's ancestors who made it all the way to World Cup finals. The bad news, and the harsh reality for Irish prospects of actually going to the 2026 World Cup,
Adam Idah realized that his experience at Norwich City FC—where it felt more like a one-team town—would contrast significantly with the intense passion surrounding football in Scotland.