Republic of Ireland 5-0 Grenada: Moylan and Cannon deliver Hallgrímsson’s clean sweep

Republic of Ireland blew past Grenada 5-0 in Murcia on Saturday night, Heimir Hallgrímsson validating his experimental 3-4-2-1 with a clinical second half that keeps confidence high heading toward the summer window. Jack Moylan grabbed a hat-trick, Tom Cannon emerged off the bench with a brace, and the squad depth Hallgrímsson has been auditioning finally looked ready for prime time.

The turning point came at the break. Hallgrímsson, using a three-man defence of Dara O'Shea, Mark McGuinness, and James Abankwah, had control but lacked cutting edge, so he triggered a triple switch: Andrew Moran for Conor Coventry, Will Ferry for Tayo Adaramola, and Cannon for McGuinness. Cannon then struck in the 46th minute to flip the contest.

Cannon scored again in the 56th minute, Adam Idah supplying the assist before departing in the 63rd minute for Millenic Alli. Cannon’s movement between the Grenadian centre-backs hunted down loose marking, and without inventing anything fancy, he punished them twice. Moylan, already lively between the lines, then took over. He converted O'Shea’s measured service in the 62nd minute, timed his run for Moran’s cutback in the 80th minute, and finished Alli’s square ball in the 84th minute.

The flow of substitutions underlined the broader plan. Aidomo Emakhu joined Alli in a 63rd-minute double change to preserve Chiedozie Ogbene’s workload, while Rory Finneran and goalkeeper Josh Keeley were introduced in the 74th minute, Keeley enjoying a quiet cameo thanks to 74 minutes of calm work from Max O'Leary. Ferry stretched Grenada down the left, and Moran used his 45 minutes to register an assist and make a growing claim for midfield responsibility. Hallgrímsson wanted answers from the next tier; the answers were loud.

Grenada, drilled by head coach A. Munro in a 4-2-3-1, were hemmed in. They managed only two attempts, none on target, and their sole booking summed up the night: Kayden Harrack was cautioned for a foul in the 73rd minute as he tried to stem relentless pressure. Trishawn Thomas made nine saves, a respectable resistance, but Grenada’s block collapsed once Cannon bullied the top line.

The tactical structure was clear. Hallgrímsson’s back three let O'Shea step into midfield and combine with Jason Knight, who linked short while Jayson Molumby set the tempo. The wing lanes were overloaded: Ogbene supplied three key passes before his withdrawal, Ferry delivered four more from the left after coming on, and Alli’s cameo added an assist to the tally. Grenada’s double pivot of Ashley Charles and Parish Muirhead tracked runners but could not match Ireland’s rotations, especially once Moran drifted between the lines.

Hallgrímsson handed minutes to six recent call-ups in Moylan, Ferry, Alli, Emakhu, Finneran, and Keeley, while Cannon ensured the scoreboard reflected the dominance. O'Shea’s 90-minute captaincy and a clean sheet despite sweeping changes help the coach argue that this shape can hold firm even while he experiments.

For Grenada, Munro will take solace in individual resilience from Thomas and the work rate of Greg Sandiford, but the gap in tempo and match sharpness was obvious. Their substitutions at the 66th minute, bringing on Josh Lett and Benjamin Ettienne, arrived only after the match was beyond reach, and further changes at the 78th minute from Deanroy Phillip and Raheem Raerburn could not stem the tide.

Hallgrímsson now has momentum and a dossier of successful auditions to study before announcing his next squad. Grenada, battered but wiser, must regroup before their Caribbean commitments. If you want a window back into club matters as players return to their teams, keep an eye on Everton vs Sunderland later this week.

Statistics

• Possession: Republic of Ireland 56 percent, Grenada 44 percent
• Shots: Republic of Ireland 37 (14 on target), Grenada 2 (0 on target)
• Corners: Republic of Ireland 12, Grenada 1
• Saves: Republic of Ireland 0, Grenada 9
• Fouls: Republic of Ireland 12, Grenada 9
• Yellow cards: Republic of Ireland 0, Grenada 1 (Kayden Harrack 73rd minute)

Lineups

• Republic of Ireland (3-4-2-1): Max O'Leary; James Abankwah, Mark McGuinness (Tom Cannon 46th minute), Dara O'Shea; Jason Knight, Conor Coventry (Andrew Moran 46th minute), Jayson Molumby (Rory Finneran 74th minute), Tayo Adaramola (Will Ferry 46th minute); Chiedozie Ogbene (Aidomo Emakhu 63rd minute), Jack Moylan; Adam Idah (Millenic Alli 63rd minute). Coach: H. Hallgrímsson.
• Grenada (4-2-3-1): Trishawn Thomas; Kane Vincent-Young, Jermaine Francis (Raheem Raerburn 78th minute), Kayden Harrack, Josh Gabriel (Josh Lett 66th minute); Shavon John-Brown (Benjamin Ettienne 66th minute), Parish Muirhead (Narshon Sylvester 85th minute); Greg Sandiford, Ashley Charles, Myles Hippolyte; Lucas Akins (Deanroy Phillip 78th minute). Coach: A. Munro.