Preston North End stars Robbie Brady and Ali McCann saw their 2026 World Cup dreams vanish on Thursday night as both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland suffered narrow play-off semi-final defeats.
Robbie Brady appeared as a second-half substitute in Prague, where the Republic of Ireland surrendered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 before losing 4-3 on penalties to the Czech Republic.
Former North End captain Alan Browne was among those to miss from the spot.
Reflecting on the agonizing exit, Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson summarized the mood in one word: “Just pain. I feel pain.”
Meanwhile, Ali McCann missed Northern Ireland’s 2-0 defeat to Italy in Bergamo due to injury.
Despite the loss to the four-time world champions, manager Michael O’Neill praised his side’s resilience against second-half goals from Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean.
O’Neill remained defiant in defeat, stating, “I couldn’t ask any more from the players. Our game plan in the first half is excellent.”