Pro-Palestine protests twice halt play as Ireland blow 2-0 lead to draw Austria
Protests halt play twice at the Aviva
The Republic of Ireland were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against Austria in their Nations League encounter at the Aviva Stadium on Thursday, after twice seeing play halted by pro-Palestine demonstrations in a tumultuous week for the squad.
Despite a significant security presence, the contest was interrupted in the opening 45 minutes on two occasions. First, around the 20th minute, tennis balls wrapped in stickers featuring the Palestinian flag and the text "#StopTheGame" were launched on to the pitch — an action campaign group Stop the Game later described in a statement as a "limited tennis ball protest". Then, around the 35th minute, a man ran on to the field of play from the opposite side carrying what appeared to be a Palestinian flag and was immediately tackled by security and carried off.
A pre-match protest also took place outside the stadium. The disruptions came amid mounting tension over the Republic's two Nations League fixtures against Israel, which have divided opinion across the country.
Parrott stars before Austria fightback
Troy Parrott gave the hosts a sensational 12th-minute opener and added a penalty on the stroke of half-time, but a pair of substitutes proved the Republic's undoing as Alexander Prass halved the deficit in the 71st minute and Michael Gregoritsch drew the sides level six minutes later.
Parrott's opener was a brilliant individual effort. The Real Betis striker realised he was on his own after bringing down Adam Idah's glanced-on header from a goal kick, was sandwiched in a triangle of white shirts, nutmegged Philipp Lienhart and evaded every other challenger with a mazy run before planting the ball past Florian Wiegele and into the bottom corner.
Play was briefly paused just before the 20th minute to clear up the tennis balls, a pause both teams used for a water break. The second stoppage followed around the 35th minute.
Ryan Manning won the penalty after he was clipped in the box by Nicolas Seiwald, and Parrott stepped up after a video assistant referee check to blast it past the Austria keeper before the interval.
Austria's second-half recovery
Austria cut the deficit after Liam Kitching was caught out and the visitors worked the ball to the unmarked Prass, who blasted beyond Caoimhín Kelleher. The offside flag was initially raised but the decision was reversed by VAR. The Brentford keeper then failed to stop Gregoritsch, guessing the wrong way as the Augsburg forward fired into the corner.
In a lively finish, the Republic captain Dara O'Shea was denied by an excellent leaping Wiegele save, Gregoritsch directed a shot over the crossbar, and both sides fended off attempts at a late winner. Patrick Wimmer had earlier been denied by Kelleher.
Group standings and team news
Hallgrímsson's men had a chance to top Group B3 with a victory, but they sit third behind Austria and Kosovo at the halfway point of the group stage. The manager made three changes, including the re-introduction of Finn Azaz, who was greeted warmly when his name was announced over the PA system before the match. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, who had made himself unavailable for the Israel meetings, was back in the squad, while Liam Scales and John Egan were awarded starts.
There was an audacious early effort from Sasa Kalajdzic, who tried to catch Kelleher off his line with a lob from midfield, before the Republic enjoyed a couple of attacking spells deep in the visitors' half.
Israel fixtures cast long shadow
It has been a turbulent period for the Republic. On 28 September 2026, Ireland beat Israel 3-0 in Debrecen in a protest-hit Nations League tie — goals from Parrott, Idah and Jack Moylan sealed the win, but the players refused handshakes, bowed their heads during Israel's anthem and wore black armbands, while Bazunu withdrew from the squad, according to prior reporting. The following day, 30 September 2026, manager Heimir Hallgrímsson insisted the Republic would play their second Israel fixture after a squad meeting of several hours, with FAI chief executive David Courell saying the players' vote passed by a "significant majority"; the players subsequently wore black armbands and bowed their heads during Israel's national anthem.
The Republic's behind-closed-doors "home" game against Israel in Backa Topola, Serbia, is scheduled for Sunday, and Hallgrímsson on Wednesday confirmed it was their intention to play. The pressure group Irish Sport for Palestine's "Stop The Game" campaign issued an open letter this week urging the Republic to pull out of the second match.