Republic of Ireland Football Team Fixtures & Results for 2013

The Republic of Ireland began 2013 with a friendly match against Poland at the Aviva Stadium in early February. This was a warm-up ahead of the more important 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Sweden and Austria in March 2013.

First senior international goals from Ciaran Clark and Wes Hoolahan gave the Ireland a morale-boosting victory in advance of the World Cup qualifiers in March.

Ireland’s first competitive match in 2013 was a World Cup qualifier in Stockholm against Sweden. The Republic of Ireland team manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, came into this tie under severe pressure due to prior performances and results. He was also unlucky with a number of injuries to his usual first eleven. Despite all of this the Irish earned a creditable 0-0 draw under the covered roof of the Friends Arena.

During 2013 Robbie Keane became the most capped player for the Republic of Ireland. He marked his record 126 appearance for Ireland with a hat trick of goals against the Faroe Islands in a 2014 World Cup qualifier at the Aviva Stadium.

2013 also saw the departure of Giovanni Trapattoni and the appointment of Martin O’Neill as the Republic of Ireland manager. Ireland’s disappointing 2014 World Cup qualification campaign signalled the end for the conservative Italian.

Following a protracted selection process the FAI appointed the dream team of O’Neill and his assistant, the incomparable Roy Keane. Their first two matches in charge brought a home victory over Latvia and an away draw against Poland in Poznan. Both matches were friendlies and the new management team had to wait until the Autumn of 2014 for the first competitive match in the 2016 Euro qualifiers.

Republic of Ireland Match Fixtures & Results for 2013

Scores in parentheses are half-time scores