Republic of Ireland vs. England: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Friendly

In what turned out to be an awful game—the Republic of Ireland and England played out a 0-0 draw at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Sunday afternoon, with neither team stamping their authority on the contest.

The game began in a relaxed fashion—befitting an end-of-season friendly played less than 24 hours after the Champions League final.

Notably, the home support booed Raheem Sterling, with many of the Irish fans having connections to Liverpool Football Club. 

Ken Early of the Irish Times highlighted the crowd's reaction to the winger:

Ireland saw plenty of the ball in the opening stages, with Chris Smalling called into action to stop the host's forward line, but the pace of the game was laboured at best. 

Peter Morrison/Associated Press

Aiden McGeady and Jeff Hendrick both had chances for Ireland but failed to make anything from their opportunities. 

Sam Wallace of the Independent and Oliver Holt of the Daily Mail both commented on the lack of life in the match—with the atmosphere strangely subdued:

The first half ended goalless with the crowd almost silent, as both teams trudged off the pitch. 

Neither side appeared to be motivated in the sunny conditions, with serious questions arising over the timing of the fixture. 

The Daily Telegraph's Henry Winter and Squawka.com both criticised the proceedings:

The second half started in a similar fashion with the match beginning to resemble a testimonial. The Irish seemed to have more impetus in the attacking third, but England never looked out of second gear through the defence or midfield. 

England then had one of their most promising opportunities of the match—but captain Wayne Rooney's touch was poor, and the Manchester United man wasted the chance. 

Metro's Matthew Nash commented on Rooney's rare involvement: 

England systematically became more engaged in the game as time ticked away, with the Irish dropping further back while the Three Lions used the ball to their advantage. 

Stu Forster/Getty Images

James Milner had a half-hearted shout for a penalty turned down just after the hour—after being caught in the opposition's box. 

The substitutions began to flow as Roy Hodgson introduced Ross Barkley and Andros Townsend. The Tottenham winger immediately had an impact, offering his side a better balance on the right. 

The England manager then brought in Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka, and former non-league player Jamie Vardy made his international bow at Rooney's expense.

Squawka highlighted the meteoric rise for the Leicester City attacker:

England finished the stronger of the two sides, with Barkley picking up the ball regularly in an advanced midfield position. But the Everton player found it difficult to burst his way into the box.

The game laboured to its inevitable conclusion, with the match ending goalless to muted applause from the watching crowd. 

It was an incredibly poor spectacle for watching supporters, and you have to wonder why the Irish and English FAs would schedule a friendly at this juncture.

The England players were clearly in post-season mode and looking forward to their summer holidays, with Ireland's contingent no better.

It is a match best forgotten, with bigger tests to come in the European qualifiers next week. Ireland face Scotland on Saturday, and England face Slovenia on Sunday.