Republic of Ireland coach Stephen Kenny insists he cannot allow himself to wonder what might have been after his sliding doors moment in Faro. The 51-year-old will send his team into Euro 2024 qualifier battle with European minnows Gibraltar in the Algarve on Monday evening knowing their automatic qualification hopes are already over, and that even the chance of a wild card via the play-offs may be out of their grasp. Just how different things could have been had his last visit to the Estadio Algarve, for a World Cup qualifier against Portugal in September 2021, not ended with a last-gasp Cristiano Ronaldo double which transformed a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory for the hosts – and established Ronaldo as international football’s leading scorer – is something upon which Kenny admits he has reflected since. Kenny said: “You can’t dwell on things, but have I reflected on it? Of course. “We were 1-0 ahead after 89 minutes and the game should be finished out. Cristiano Ronaldo has other ideas and the world record was on the line that night, so he was hugely motivated to break that. “It was a very good performance that night. VAR intervened for an absolute cast-iron penalty to go 2-0 up in the second half, nailed-on penalty. “That’s the way it goes. What ifs… there’s no point in complaining. You move on and that’s it.” If we were to play any game, we'd play to win, any international game Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny Ireland ultimately did not make it to last year’s World Cup finals, and neither will they be in Germany next summer unless their fortunes change markedly and they manage to secure a play-off spot and make it count. There is even a complicated scenario in which they might be better off losing their final qualifier in the Netherlands next month depending on results elsewhere, although Kenny insists he is not even contemplating that. He said: “No, it’s not something that’s really entered our heads. It’s not something that really we’d focus on. If we were to play any game, we’d play to win, any international game. “We would just focus on Gibraltar tomorrow. It’s an international game that we want to win. We have to get a win under our belt tomorrow and I’m not really fixated on that scenario.” Kenny, who confirmed that his contract would cover any play-off, has found himself in the firing line since Friday night’s 2-0 home defeat by Greece, although with World Cup finalists France and the Dutch also in Group B, the alarm bells starting ringing after their 2-1 reverse in Athens in June. However, asked if he would resign should things go from bad to worse in Faro, he said: “I’m not considering resigning. My contact is to the end of the campaign and I will finish it. “We want to finish the campaign strongly and we are very determined to do that. After that, it’s completely out of my control. I have no control over the rest.” Read More Wales defeat Croatia to boost Euro 2024 qualification hopes Steve Borthwick hails ‘written off’ England after reaching World Cup semi-final Stephen Kenny puts speculation to one side for Gibraltar clash Jos Buttler tells England to ‘let it hurt’ after World Cup loss to Afghanistan Baltimore boss John Harbaugh thrilled to end ‘heck of a week’ in London on high Talking Points as Republic of Ireland seek win against minnows Gibraltar

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst says the overall struggles of the offense make it tougher to evaluate the progress of Jordan Love in the quarterback’s first season as a starter

Former Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott still hasn't found a team yet. Here's where one slightly sketchy source thinks he'll end up this offseason.The Dallas Cowboys parting ways with Ezekiel Elliott was one of the most obvious outcomes this offseason. People would have placed...

Honkai: Star Rail is no different from other new games that have been released recently that offer Twitch drops

Carsen Quackenbush used cashier's check's to carry out the fraudulent activity

Justin Rose’s fast start to the second round has him within one shot of Bryson DeChambeau at the PGA Championship

The 1975 frontman Matty Healy is reportedly set to collaborate with Taylor Swift on her new album.

A spike in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and threats has taken a heavy toll on pride celebrations in the United States this year, organizers say -- especially in states...

Clearing the last of the Christmas dinner plates is a special moment. It means it’s time for the traditional dessert.

England captain Ben Stokes admitted he was too nervous to watch the closing stages of his side's thrilling three-wicket win over Australia in the third...

The yen is nearing levels that will likely prompt Japan to again jump in and defend the currency,

A pair of crossed logs in Zambia may be the oldest evidence of early humans building with wood