特洛伊·帕罗特在匈牙利德布勒森为爱尔兰共和国队攻入对阵以色列队的首球。
Troy Parrott opens the score for Republic of Ireland against Israel in Debrecen, Hungary.
摄影：Attila Kisbenedek/法新社/盖蒂图片社。在现代世界，足球与政治密不可分，无论有多少人希望事实并非如此。但这项美丽的运动能否缓解我们这个时代的弊病，则是另一回事。在过去的一周里，爱尔兰对加沙人民的支持问题使这场比赛演变成了一场良心之战，而这场平淡无奇的比赛结果最终显得无关紧要。
Photograph: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images Football and politics are inseparable in the modern world, no matter how many people wish that weren’t true. But whether the beautiful game can ease the ills of our age is another matter. After a week in which the issue of Irish support for the people of Gaza had turned this fixture into a battle of conscience, the outcome of this underwhelming match ultimately felt inconsequential.
最终，比赛结果确实呈现出一边倒的态势，但这并非因为抵制。周六晚上，人们还在质疑海米尔·哈尔格里姆松的球队是否会出现在匈牙利的赛场上。如果他们出场，他们能专注于比赛吗？事实证明，一周的内心挣扎足以让爱尔兰队——或者至少是那些入选的球员——达成集体共识。他们从一开始就表现得强硬而果断，前锋们在上半场各入一球锁定了胜局，并以许多象征性的举动提醒国内的民众，让他们了解自己的立场。
In the end the result was indeed a walkover, just not because of a boycott. On Saturday night the question had been whether Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side would take to the field in Hungary at all. If they did, would their heads be in the game? It turned out that a week of internal angst had been enough to produce collective resolve among the Irish squad, or at least those selected to play. Strong and assertive from the off, their forwards each scored a goal in the first half to settle the contest, with plenty of symbolic action to remind those back home of their feelings.
从某种程度上说，德布勒森的比赛氛围让人回想起新冠疫情期间的比赛。球场内说的每一句话都清晰可闻，几乎空无一人的看台带来了一种压抑感。作为名义上的主队，以色列队获准有一小部分球迷入场，大约150人，他们正竭尽全力地制造声势。与此同时，在相隔两个看台的地方是爱尔兰的助威团，大约有十几个人，尽管爱尔兰足协决定不提供客场门票配额，但他们还是设法进入了球场。他们都双手插兜，站在楼梯间里。
In a way the atmosphere in Debrecen was reminiscent of a match played during Covid. Every word uttered in the ground was audible and the nigh-on empty stands carried their own oppressive weight. As the nominal home side, Israel had been allowed a small delegation of fans, about 150, who were doing their best to be excitable. Meanwhile, two blocks away were the Irish contingent, around a dozen people who had got into the ground despite the FAI’s decision not to bring an away allocation. They were all stood hands in pockets in a stairway.
这种怪异、近乎阴森的氛围，因爱尔兰队在赛前仪式中刻意保持的疏离姿态而进一步加剧。当爱尔兰国歌奏响时，爱尔兰队的工作人员背对球场；而在以色列国歌响起时，佩戴黑色臂章的爱尔兰球员们则低头凝视地面。双方没有交换队旗，也没有握手致意，两队球员被迅速从中圈引导至各自的围圈中。
This odd, almost haunted mood was heightened further by Ireland’s mannered approach to the pre-match rituals. Irish staff faced away from the pitch when their national anthem was played. Ireland’s players, all wearing black armbands, stared at the ground during Israel’s. There was no exchanging of pennants and no shaking of hands, with both squads hurried away from the centre circle into their own huddles.
周六，这场比赛曾险些被取消。当时，门将加文·巴祖努宣布自己无法入选大名单，这一决定引发了球员与管理层之间激烈的情感交锋。经过长达四小时的讨论，球队最终决定继续参赛。据爱尔兰足协主席大卫·库雷尔透露，投票结果显示“压倒性多数”支持出战。
The game had come close to being abandoned on Saturday, when goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu made himself unavailable for selection, his decision prompting emotional exchanges among players and management. Only after four hours of debate did the squad resolve that they should play on, holding a vote with a “significant majority” in favour, according to FAI chief David Courell.
因此，霍尔格里姆松排出的首发阵容中仅有一名替补门将，并将关键前锋芬·阿扎兹替换至替补席，这是在对阵科索沃并惨败的那套阵容基础上做出的五处调整之一。阿扎兹的母亲拥有以色列国籍，据报道称，这位南安普顿前锋在周六的讨论中发表了激昂的言论。霍尔格里姆松表示，那是“我作为教练经历过的最具挑战性的几周之一”。以色列国歌奏响时，爱尔兰共和国队球员低头致意。摄影：本·麦什恩 / Sportsfile / 盖蒂图片社然而，在经历了这番深刻的自我审视后，爱尔兰队仅用上半场的11分钟便决定了比赛胜负。第14分钟，特洛伊·帕罗特率先破门。右翼卫詹姆斯·阿班克瓦在右路表现出色，帕罗特接球后低射，皮球穿过丹尼尔·佩雷茨的身体入网。两分钟后，比分被扩大。亚当·伊达在越位线附近摆脱最后一名防守球员，接杰克·莫伊兰精准的直塞球，冷静地将球送入佩雷茨左侧门柱内侧。
Hallgrimsson therefore picked a team with just one reserve keeper and also dropped key forward Finn Azaz to the bench in one of five changes to the team that lost meekly to Kosovo. Azaz’s mother has Israeli citizenship and the Southampton forward was reported to have made an impassioned contribution to Saturday’s discussion. It had been, Hallgrimsson said, “one of the most challenging weeks for me as a coach”. The Republic of Ireland team bow their heads during the Israeli national anthem. Photograph: Ben McShane/Sportsfile/Getty Images After all the soul-searching, however, Ireland decided the contest in just 11 first-half minutes. Troy Parrott opened the scoring in the 14th minute, turning home a low shot through the body of Daniel Peretz after impressive work on the right by wing-back James Abankwah. Two minutes later and the lead was doubled when, running on the shoulder of the last defender, Adam Idah collected a smart through ball from Jack Moylan and wrapped a calm finish inside Peretz’s left-hand post.
比赛进行到第25分钟，莫伊兰打入一球，这是他代表国家队出场4次以来的第4个进球，延续了他国际赛场生涯的辉煌开局。当时以色列队未能解围凯莱赫的一次开球，这位卡迪夫城中场球员抓住机会，带球推进25码进入禁区，随后低射破门。莫伊兰跑向角旗区，摘下黑色臂章向以色列球迷挥舞，随后亲吻了它。
In the 25th minute Moylan got a goal of his own, his fourth in as many caps to continue a stellar start to his international career. As Israel failed to clear a Caoimhín Kelleher kick, the Cardiff City midfielder seized on the loose ball and drove 25 yards into the box before shooting low into the net. Moylan wheeled away to the corner flag, took off his black armband and waved it at the Israeli support before kissing it.
以色列队在上半场对比赛毫无影响，但在下半场提高了节奏。主教练兰·本·西蒙在中场休息时做出调整，换上多尔·佩雷茨加强中场，他上场后几乎立即展现了威胁，在禁区边缘的一记重炮轰门迫使凯莱赫做出精彩扑救，这位布伦特福德门将向右侧跃起，将佩雷茨的射门挡出底线。不久之后，凯莱赫又以同样的方式，尽管力度较小，化解了另一位佩雷茨——埃利尔的远射。然而，以色列队仅能维持10分钟的施压，随后伊达几乎将比分改写为4-0，但这位斯旺西前锋的头球顶在了球网上方。
skip past newsletter promotion after newsletter promotion Israel made zero impact on the match in the first half, but came out at a higher tempo in the second. An attacking shift by coach Ran Ben Simon saw Dor Peretz come on at the interval into midfield and he almost immediately made his mark with a strong hit from the edge of the box that drew the very best from Kelleher, the Brentford man springing to his right to poke Peretz’s effort behind. Shortly afterwards Kelleher repeated the same action, albeit with less intensity, as he dealt with a long-range shot from a third Peretz, Eliel. A 10-minute passage of pressure was all they were able to muster, however, and Idah almost made it 4-0 at the end of it, but the Swansea striker put his header on to the roof of the net.
比赛最后阶段陷入了零星的冲突，以色列球迷的噪音越来越大，其中似乎还夹杂着支持以色列国防军（IDF）的口号。这场比赛注定不会在人们的记忆中停留太久，而围绕它产生的喧嚣也令人感到不快。
The final stages of the match dissolved into infrequent scrapping with increasing noise from the Israeli fans, including what sounded like chanting for the IDF. This was not a match that will linger long in the memory, and the noise that surrounded it has left a bad taste in the mouth.