Preston North End's Alan Browne left disappointed after the Republic of Ireland's narrow defeat to Norway

Preston’s Alan Browne started and scored in the Republic of Ireland’s 2-1 defeat to Norway at the Aviva Stadium.
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The goal from the North End midfielder levelled things after Leo Ostigard’s first half opener, before Ohi Omoijuanfo claimed a late winner for the visitors.

Browne was left disappointed after both of the Norway goals came from set-pieces.

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He told Sky Sports: "I think they nullified us very well, they were really compact.

Alan Browne in action for the Republic of Ireland on Thursday night (Photo by PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty Images)Alan Browne in action for the Republic of Ireland on Thursday night (Photo by PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Alan Browne in action for the Republic of Ireland on Thursday night (Photo by PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty Images)

"It's really poor from our point of view, to concede from two set-pieces is really not like us. We need to look at that and improve on that.

"We found it hard to break them down, there was no real zip to our game, we were a bit flat. The second half was definitely better but there is a lot more room for improvement.”

Ireland started the game poorly and deservedly went into the break trailing.

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Ostigard was able to get to a Martin Odegaard corner ahead of John Egan to head past Gavin Bazunu.

Just before the 70-minute mark, Browne smashed in the equaliser from distance.

The midfielder brought down a headed clearance outside the box, before striking a thunderous half volley into the bottom corner.

Like Norway’s first, Odegaard was involved.

Nathan Collins was unable to deal with a free kick from the Arsenal midfielder, leaving Omoijuanfo able to smash the ball home.

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"We wanted to put on a performance for the fans and get the win but ultimately we did neither,” Browne added.

“I did think we were the better team in the second half but it is utterly disappointing to concede another set-piece.

"It was just a stroke of luck in the box, it fell nicely for him. It was unfortunate for us but we need to learn from that and improve on it."

The Republic of Ireland will round off 2022 with a trip to Malta this weekend, with the game kicking off at 7pm on Sunday.

This will be their final test before the start of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, which gets underway against France on March 27.

They will face the Netherlands, Greece and Gibraltar in Group B.