Republic of Ireland boss discusses Caoimhin Kelleher gaffe ahead of Liverpool return vs Chelsea
Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has stuck by Caoimhin Kelleher despite the Liverpool goalkeeper's disastrous error against Greece.
The 25-year-old had attempted to play the ball out from the back when he misplaced his pass to the unsuspecting Petros Mantalos outside his own box, leaving the AEK Athens star to round him and fire into the empty net to secure all three points for the hosts.
Ireland had already been 1-0 down with just a few minutes remaining by this point but Greece's second goal killed off any small hope of finding a late leveler and leaving the Karaiskakis Stadium with a point.
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Despite the gaffe, Kelleher was awarded Ireland's Player of the Match for a string of fine saves, keeping his side in the game until the very last, although ultimately it was one of his last contributions that proved to be the final nail in the coffin for The Boys in Green.
It left Hallgrimsson saying Christmas had come early for the opposition, with Ireland "giving too many gifts to the opponent,” although he was conscious of the fact that outing Kelleher to the media would have done the Liverpool shot-stopper no favors.
“I have a goalkeeper coach who always says the same thing: football is a team sport until a goalkeeper makes a mistake, then it’s no longer a team sport," the Icelandic said.
“It is what it is. You never know but we were really in the game, we were getting the ball in dangerous positions at this moment. But winning or losing was not there, it was because we started too late, I think, to believe in ourselves.”
Despite the error, Kelleher received significant praise from the media following Ireland's 2-0 defeat on Sunday, with both the Irish Mirror and the Irish Examiner giving him a 7/10 in its player ratings - although the former claimed he lost a mark for gifting Greece its second goal.
The result leaves Ireland third in its Nations League group with just three points from four matches, having seen off Finland with a 2-1 victory in its last outing, while England sits second in the group with nine points and Greece tops the standings with 12 points.
Thankfully for Kelleher, however, he can look forward to putting his mistake behind him when he lines up for Liverpool against Chelsea on Sunday, presenting a much-needed quick turnaround for the academy graduate.
With Liverpool No.1 Alisson out until after the November international break, Kelleher has been afforded an extended run in the first-team and another opportunity to impress on the biggest stage.