Ireland’s game against Albania resumes after it was suspended due to torrential rain

Ireland’s game against Albania in the Nations League will continue after it had been suspended for one hour due to torrential rain. The game returned to action at 7.18pm Irish time after a 5pm kick-off.

A statement from the FAI on Twitter/X said: “The referee has decided that the game will continue. Should conditions worsen, the referee will inform both teams as to what the next course of action will be.”

The game was 0-0 when the decision was made, the closing stages of the second half taking place in farcical conditions where the ball would not carry more than a few metres along the ground due to the rain.

Ireland had dominated the game before that, with 12 shots to one and 69 per cent possession against the Albanians.

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The match is taking place in Stadiumi ‘Loro Borici’ in Shkodër, Albania. Ireland are top of their group in the Nations League League B Group 1, having won three games and drawn one out of four so far. They beat Albania 5-1 at Tallaght Stadium last Friday.

If Ireland win the game and Hungary fail to beat Northern Ireland in Belfast, promotion to the Nations League ‘A’ will be secured for 2024 with two matches to spare.

Promotion would mean world champions Spain, European champions England or other heavyweights like Germany, the Netherlands and France are the potential opposition at the Aviva between next April and July.

The Nations League top tier also offers a direct route to the 2025 Euros in Switzerland as finishing first or second in a four-team group would deliver qualification to consecutive major tournaments.