Ireland beat Israel 3-0 in a Nations League clash on Sunday amid an eerie and sombre atmosphere that saw the Irish players wear black armbands over the war in Gaza.

Ireland’s players also bowed their heads as the Israeli national anthem was played at the near-empty Debrecen stadium in Hungary.

The teams skipped the traditional pre-match handshakes and did not exchange pennants either.

Troy Parrott made a heart sign with his hands after opening the scoring on 14 minutes, while Jack Moylan kissed the Irish badge on his jersey and his black armband after netting the third goal 25 minutes in.

Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson said his team had “raised awareness worldwide” about the Gaza conflict after they chose not to shake hands with Israeli players.

The game, in which Israel were the nominal hosts, had been in doubt earlier in the week until Ireland’s players voted overwhelmingly to fulfil the fixture, despite pressure from back home to boycott the match.

Only one player, goalkeeper Gavin Buzunu, pulled out, saying “it would be wrong to participate” in either this match or the return fixture in Serbia on October 4 due to the “killing of innocent people”.

“It has been so difficult for so many players,” Icelander Hallgrimsson told broadcaster RTE after the game.

“I hope that will not be in the next game because they have shown support to the protest, they have raised awareness worldwide, not only in Ireland, on the subject and that is normally the reason for protesting, to raise awareness of a situation.

“I think these players have done that with all their actions, with all that they have been saying. No more than Gavin Bazunu, but the others have done it here on the pitch and how they have shown their actions, so I hope people understand that.”

Since Ireland were drawn in the same Nations League group as Israel in February, prominent Irish figures including sportspeople, fan groups and pro-Palestinian campaigners have protested against the matches going ahead.

The Irish federation did not reserve any tickets for fans to attend the match and public broadcaster RTE was due to show it without commentary.

Israeli minister irked

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Ireland of being “on the wrong side of history” over the players’ actions.

In a lengthy post on X, Saar referenced the Irish team of 1939 giving the Nazi salute ahead of a match against Germany in Bremen.

He also referred to Irish neutrality during the Second World War and the condolences offered by then-prime minister Eaemon de Valera to the German representative in Dublin following Adolf Hitler’s death.

“Almost 90 years have passed. Ireland’s unique talent for finding itself on the wrong side of history remains intact,” he added.

“Sports, soccer, basketball, everything is for the public, the people, and not for politics,” 31-year-old software development teacher Mol Michael, draped in an Israeli scarf, told AFP.

“Once you decide, because of politics, to cancel the Irish audience, this is a really stupid move from Ireland, in my opinion.”

Ireland has long been a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, with sympathy often linked to the country’s own history of British rule.

Dublin formally recognised a Palestinian state in 2024 alongside Spain and Norway, and has repeatedly criticised Israel over its relentless bombardment of Gaza.