Ireland coach Damien Doyle was allegedly spat on by an Israeli player during the UEFA Nations League match. Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said, "I'm not going to comment. It's something a disciplinary committee will look at." Tensions remained high as the teams played behind closed doors in Serbia on Sunday.

Israel faced Ireland in the UEFA Nations League, and tempers ran high between the two sides yet again. This is the second time both teams have faced each other in a fortnight. The Irish media reported that one of the Israeli players spat on the Ireland coach, Damien Doyle, during the half-time whistle.

Asked about the spitting incident at the post-match news conference, Icelandic football manager Heimir Hallgrimsson declined to provide details. "I was there. I'm not going to comment. It's something a disciplinary committee will look at," he told reporters.

Israel coach Ran Ben-Shimon said he had already left the sideline and did not see what happened. "Halftime, I was in the dressing room, in my room with my ⁠staff; I didn't see anything. When I'm going to see and check, I will get ⁠back to you with the answer," he told reporters.

Ireland had faced calls from some supporters and politicians to boycott the fixtures before beating Israel 3-0 behind closed doors in Hungary in their first meeting ⁠a week ago.

"I'm absolutely delighted this is finished," Ireland's Hallgrimsson told reporters.

"It's taken a toll out of us all. I've given so much credit to the players. They have been absolutely amazing in tough times, and I ⁠wish no national team to go through what we have gone through for the last two weeks."

Ireland is one of Europe's most outspoken critics of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, and the Football Association of Ireland chose to stage Sunday's match behind closed doors in Serbia amid the pressure to withdraw from the fixtures.

The absence of supporters, however, did little to ease the tension on the pitch. As in the first meeting, there were no pre-match handshakes or exchange of pennants, while players from each team bowed their heads during the opposing national anthem.

Ireland again wore black armbands commemorating all the victims of the conflict in Gaza, with the Israelis sporting black armbands in memory of the victims of the October 7 attack that sparked the war.