England–Ireland football rivalry
The England–Ireland football rivalry is a rivalry between England and Republic of Ireland football teams. The first ever match was played on 30 September 1946 at Dalymount Park, Dublin. England won the match 1–0.[1][2] On 21 September 1949, Republic of Ireland won the second match 2–0 which was played at Goodison Park, Liverpool and became the first foreign team to defeat England at their home soil.[2][3]
| Location | British Isles (UEFA) |
|---|---|
| Teams |  England Republic of Ireland |
| First meeting | Ireland 0–1 England (30 September 1946) Friendly |
| Latest meeting | England 3–0 Ireland (12 November 2020) Friendly |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 16 |
| Most wins | England (6) |
| Most player appearances | Bryan Robson Gary Lineker Pat Bonner Paul McGrath David O'Leary (5 apps) |
| Top scorer | John Atyeo Tommy Taylor (3 goals) |
| All-time record | England: 6 Draw: 8 Ireland: 2 |
Since then there have a been a total of 16 matches between both the teams with England and Republic of Ireland winning six and two matches respectively and eight games ended in a draw.[4]
History
England and Ireland has a long-standing rivalry, stretching back to Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland, when settlers started to control Irish affairs, British colonising the Irish Island and displacing the locals and with Plantation of Ulster they put Catholic (local) majority under the control of Protestant (settlers) minority. After the Irish War of Independence, the British divided Ireland into two self-governing polities; which later became Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. The split cause animosity between England and Republic of Ireland which can be often seen when both the countries meet in any sporting events.[5]
The rivalry is further intensified when Irish born or descendant players switch allegiances to English national football team, with Declan Rice and Jack Grealish being the latest examples, as both represented Republic of Ireland from U16 to U21 team and switched to England at senior level.[6][7] Rice made 3 appearances for Republic of Ireland national team before joining England senior team.
List of matches
| No. | Date | Location | Competition | Home team | Result | Away team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 30 September 1946 | Dublin | Friendly | Republic of Ireland | England | |
| 2. | 21 September 1949 | Liverpool | Friendly | England | Republic of Ireland | |
| 3. | 3 October 1956 | London | 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification | England | Republic of Ireland | |
| 4. | 19 May 1957 | Dublin | 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification | Republic of Ireland | England | |
| 5. | 24 May 1964 | Dublin | Friendly | Republic of Ireland | England | |
| 6. | 8 September 1976 | London | Friendly | England | Republic of Ireland | |
| 7. | 25 October 1978 | Dublin | UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying | Republic of Ireland | England | |
| 8. | 6 February 1980 | London | UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying | England | Republic of Ireland | |
| 9. | 25 March 1985 | London | Friendly | England | Republic of Ireland | |
| 10. | 12 June 1988 |  Stuttgart | UEFA Euro 1988 | England | Republic of Ireland | |
| 11. | 11 June 1990 |  Cagliari | 1990 FIFA World Cup | England | Republic of Ireland | |
| 12. | 14 November 1990 | Dublin | UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying | Republic of Ireland | England | |
| 13. | 27 March 1991 | London | UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying | England | Republic of Ireland | |
| – | 15 February 1995 | Dublin | Friendly | Republic of Ireland | England | |
| 14. | 29 May 2013 | London | Friendly | England | Republic of Ireland | |
| 15. | 7 June 2015 | Dublin | Friendly | Republic of Ireland | England | |
| 16. | 12 November 2020 | London | Friendly | England | Republic of Ireland |
- Match was abandoned after 27 minutes following crowd trouble. The result was declared void but players were still credited with international caps.
Statistics
All-time top goalscorers
| Nation | Player | Goals | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
|
John Atyeo | 3 | 1955–57 |
|
Tommy Taylor | 3 | 1953–57 |
|
Gary Lineker | 2 | 1984–92 |
|
Kevin Keegan | 2 | 1972–82 |
All-time most appearances
| Nation | Player | Appearances | Years | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bryan Robson | 5 | 1980–1991 | Midfielder |
|
Gary Lineker | 5 | 1984–1992 | Forward |
|
Pat Bonner | 5 | 1981–1996 | Goalkeeper |
|
Paul McGrath | 5 | 1985–1997 | Defender |
|
David O'Leary | 5 | 1976–1993 | Defender |
Overall
| Matches | Wins | Draws | Goals | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | Rep. of Ireland | England | Rep. of Ireland | |||
| FIFA World Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| FIFA World Cup qualification | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| UEFA European Championship | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| UEFA Euro qualification | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| All competitions | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 7 |
| Friendly | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 6 |
| All matches | 16 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 23 | 13 |
References
- "Friendlies 1946 » September » Ireland - England 0:1". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- Healy, Martin (11 November 2020). "The long history of Ireland vs England matches through the years". extra.ie. Extra.ie. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- "Friendlies 1949 » September » England - Ireland 0:2". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- "England » Record against Ireland". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- Wallenfeldt, Jeff. "The Troubles". britannica.com. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- Delaney, Miguel. "What Ireland really feels about England, an 800-year rivalry of shades of grey, green and white". independent.co.uk. The Independent. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- "Jack Grealish chooses England over Republic of Ireland". bbc.com. BBC. Retrieved 28 September 2015.