The Republic of Ireland were denied a second consecutive UEFA Nations League victory after Austria recovered from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw in Dublin.
Troy Parrott gave Ireland a strong start at the Aviva Stadium, opening the scoring with an individual finish before converting a penalty later in the first half. His second goal came after Ryan Manning was fouled inside the area.
The match was twice briefly interrupted before half-time by protests connected to Ireland’s fixtures against Israel. In the 19th minute, tennis balls carrying Palestine flags and messages calling for the game to be stopped were thrown onto the pitch, forcing referee Allard Lindhout to halt play while stewards cleared them away.
A second disruption followed in the 35th minute when a man carrying a Palestine flag entered the field before being quickly stopped by security. Demonstrations had also taken place outside the stadium before kick-off.
Ireland appeared well placed for another positive result after beating Israel 3-0 in Hungary on Sunday, but Austria changed the momentum after the break.
Substitute Alexander Prass reduced the deficit after capitalising on an error by defender Liam Kitching. Another replacement, Michael Gregoritsch, then completed the comeback with a curling free-kick beyond goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
The draw leaves Austria at the top of Nations League Group B3 under Ralf Rangnick, while Ireland were left to reflect on a missed opportunity after surrendering a two-goal advantage at home.