Jamie McGrath was happy to leave his girlfriend heading for a Nashville holiday without him after being called up late - and straight into the Republic of Ireland starting line-up - for Thursday's 1-0 win over Qatar. The 29-year-old Hibernian midfielder was not included in Heimir Hallgrimsson's initial squad for the friendly - and the trip to Canada on 6 June - and was on holiday in Marbella when he was drafted in at short notice due to injuries. McGrath was handed a 14th cap, his first since a Nations League win in Finland in October 2024, as Ireland beat the World Cup-bound visitors in Dublin.
