Keith Andrews rises to head home the opener
Fionn O’Dea
Staff Writer
In the past week Giovanni Trapattoni had been at pains to play down the favourites tag attached to him team. He stressed time again that Ireland and Estonia were to meet as equals, each with a 50:50 chance. In the end though, it was easy, far easier than it should have been.
Ireland’s 4-0 trouncing ensures that not even the most ardent of pessimists regarding Irish football (and believe me, they exist!) could possibly deny that the boys in green have booked their place in Poland/Ukraine. Tuesday’s clash at the Aviva will now not be the showdown expected but a send-off to the Ireland’s first major championships in ten years.
The game’s early exchanges posed little threat for either team. The first chance of note came came in the 13th minute in the form of Keith Andrews’ third international goal. Andrews rose and connected perfectly with Aiden McGeady’s pinpoint cross to direct the ball beyond the reach of Sergei Pareiko. It could have been two only three minutes later when the ball evaded the home defence and found its way to Jonathon Walters only for him to fire over.
The Irish defence put in yet another strong performance, forcing, as they have done so often of late, the opposition to a series of fruitless long distance strikes. It went from bad to worse for the home side as defender Andrei Stepanov was given his marching orders, being awarded a second yellow for upending Robbie Keane. The home support watched on as the biggest game in their nation’s history went from bad to worse. It was, however, to get a lot worse.
The second half began with a double chance for first Keane and then Damien Duff but overall, it was the Estonians who bossed for the opening period, with Ireland struggling to get a hold of the game. Despite their possession, they never looked like a credible threat in front of goal, closest coming when they were dubiously awarded a free kick right on the edge of the box. The resulting strike was put behind by Richard Dunne and it seemed as if that was about as close as they were going to get.
Ireland made it two in the 67th minute, Walters capping a strong first competitive performance with a goal. After good work by McGeady, the ball fell at the feet of Keane whose looping ball was nodded in at the back post by Walters.
Minutes later, Estonian captain Raio Piiroja brought down Keith Andrews in the middle of the park giving away a free and earning a yellow that ruled him out of the return tie. The free last struck low and hard, and utterly wrong footed the home keeper who could only parry. The ball fall kindly to Keane who made it 3-0 with one of the easiest finishes of his career.
By this stage, the reality was becoming clear, it was to be Ireland’s day and Ireland’s tie, and the Estonian, despite an impressive qualifying campaign, had finally run out of steam.
There was time for it to get worse though, as they saw Piiroja sent off for a second yellow in the 77th minute. Substitute Stephen Hunt’s struck way over from the resulting free but there was time still for one last effort from a set piece.
Keane played Hunt into the box in the 87th minute who went softly down and won a penalty. The icing on the cake was provided as Keane slotted home the spot kick prompting ecstatic celebrations from the Irish fans. The goal was, remarkably, his 53rd in international football and 7th of the current campaign.
The Irish played out the game’s final moments safe in the knowledge that victory was assured and that the return leg will be as close to a formality as a football match can be.
The victory should see ghosts of Paris at last buried, and also goes some way to dispel the play off hoodoo hanging over Ireland. Above all though, it ensures (touch wood!) a European Championships to look forward to before Ireland lose several members of a golden generation.
