Sheffield United's John Egan requires treatment after Ireland's defeat to George Baldock and Greece

Sheffield United defender John Egan has spoken of his disappointment after the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2024 qualifying defeat to a Greece team which included his Bramall Lane teammate George Baldock.
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The 2-1 loss in Athens left Stephen Kenny’s side fourth in Group B and already struggling to reach next year’s finals.

Egan, making his first competitive outing since helping United regain their Premier League status last term, was the most experienced member of the Irish side with 33 caps.

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Reflecting upon their performance during a match Baldock also started, he said: “We have done a lot of training and preparation, lads are young but they are there on merit, as a team we know we can play a lot better than we did on Friday night and that's the most disappointing thing, apart from the result we know we are capable of doing much better.

"We responded well to going 1-0 down, we got a goal and got a bit of control of the game, went in at half time 1-1, but to concede so early in the second half was sloppy on our part and then we are chasing the game for the rest of it.”

Having fallen behind to a penalty, Ireland equalised before conceding again as Baldock and his compatriots climbed above third placed Holland into second.

Sheffield United and Republic of Ireland defender John Egan (right): Oisin Keniry/Getty ImagesSheffield United and Republic of Ireland defender John Egan (right): Oisin Keniry/Getty Images
Sheffield United and Republic of Ireland defender John Egan (right): Oisin Keniry/Getty Images

Egan required treatment after the tie for a blow to the nose but insisted he would be ready to face Gibraltar on Monday, when Greece face the French.

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"I am going to be down after a defeat, no matter what game it is, I am never happy after a defeat,” Egan said. “There's another game around the corner, we will analyse this and move on.

“We still have a lot of games left so we just look at the next one and try to get three points.

"Every game we approach like we want to win it, at the end of the day we've all been playing football a long time, we dust ourselves down, we have another game now around the corner, we have to get the win.”