Two Liverpool teammates were in opposition to each other on international duty tonight, and if Arne Slot was watching, he’d have been impressed with both men.
Caoimhin Kelleher was Republic of Ireland’s last line of defence in their 2-1 win over a Hungary side captained by Dominik Szoboszlai in Dublin, and despite the latter falling to defeat, he still played with distinction for his country as Euro 2024 looms ever larger.
READ MORE: (Video) Ice cold: Diogo Jota doubles Portugal’s lead with emphatically dispatched penalty
As per Sofascore, the Reds duo were the two highest-rated players from the fixture at the Aviva Stadium, with the goalkeeper (7.7) edging his 23-year-old Anfield colleague (7.6).
Kelleher completed 29 of his 35 passes on the night (83%) and pulled off five saves throughout the 90 minutes, the best of which saw him deny Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez during the first half.
For Hungary, Szoboszlai found a teammate with 61 out of his 70 passes (87%), executed six key passes, delivered three accurate crosses, won four of his seven duels, and was successful with 100% of his dribbles.
FOLLOW Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE
Despite his nation being on the end of what was perhaps a surprise defeat to a team who were way short of qualifying for Euro 2024, the midfielder can be pleased with his personal contribution on the night.
Meanwhile, Kelleher’s future at Liverpool remains a topic of speculation after he recently hinted at a desire to move on over the summer, but if he does stay put at Anfield, performances like this will see him earn quite a few opportunities next season.
From a Reds perspective, it’s very pleasing to see strong displays from both of our representatives in Dublin tonight.