The Republic of Ireland slipped to a 1-0 defeat away to Kosovo in their Nations League opener in Pristina. The build-up to the League B3 encounter had been overshadowed by controversy around upcoming fixtures against Israel, which Republic boss Heimir Hallgrimsson had admitted many of his squad members were uncomfortable about playing.

Chiedozie Ogbene fired an early chance over before Kosovo responded strongly. The home side saw two shots cleared off the line and Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher clawed away a header from Vedat Muriqi as Hallgrimsson's side reached half-time level.

Ireland dug in for the second half but were undone with seven minutes left when Kosovo captain Muriqi bundled the ball in from close range. Udinese defender James Abankwah was handed a first competitive start as part of a back five, with Real Betis striker Troy Parrott the lone forward and Dara O'Shea taking the captain's armband.

Hallgrimsson told RTE: "[Kosovo are] a good team, momentum with them, crowd with them, and to be honest they deserve the win. There was nothing that we didn't know about how they would play, where their threats would be, but [it was] an off day for a lot of our players."