Ireland’s heartbreak in Paris

IN SPORT, it doesn’t get much more heartbreaking than this.

A monumental Irish performance in Paris – over the course of which they had a string of chances to clinch what would have been a stunning comeback victory in the play-off against the French and, with it, qualification for the World Cup finals – was ultimately undone by the hand of Thierry Henry, as the French captain foxed the match officials in setting up the decisive extra-time goal which sends France to South Africa and ends Ireland’s World Cup dream.

It won’t be of any consolation to the players or manager Giovanni Trapattoni that it’s they who should be boarding the plane after one of the bravest and best Irish performances of all time. It was a display of super-human endeavour, raw courage and no little skill, crowned by a superb Robbie Keane goal, but in the end it wasn’t enough to claim the glittering prize – just the huge affection and regard of the travelling Irish fans, as manager and players trudged dejectedly from the field of play having given it their all.

From start to late finish, it was an extraordinary night. For at least an hour before kick-off, the Stade de France had been awash with red, white and blue and rocking to that Afro-Gallic beat. The wedge of Irish supporters in the corner, outnumbered by nearly 10 to one in the massive stadium, struggled mightily to be heard but as the French national anthem was roared to the night sky, red white and blue balloons invaded even the press box and the theme of ‘Allez Les Bleus’ was spelled out in huge letters by the home supporters, it was clear for Ireland to prevail, they would have to gatecrash the party in a massive way. And they so very nearly did.

From the very first moment, when Keith Andrews renewed acquaintance with his old mate Lassana Diarra – and, almost inevitably, was penalised by the Swedish referee for his trouble – it was a sign that Irish spirit on the pitch would not be found wanting.

But a moment later when Liam Lawrence, in unaccustomed space on the right, failed to make his cross count, it was equally obvious Irish ball skills would need to be sharper to maximise any advantage. And soon enough they were. There was more than a hint of French nerves as Ireland pressed in the early exchanges, keeping possession well and provoking the crowd into whistling its disapproval. But, suddenly, after a galloping breakout led by Andre Pierre Gignac, it was only a timely Sean St Ledger intervention in front of his own goal which ended a the kind of threatening counter-attack always liable to punish Irish adventure.

But for 20 minutes the Irish gave as good as they got, and more, their supporters now audible in a stadium which seemed so much less of a celebration zone than it had at the start. And when, in the space of two minutes, French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris had to react quickly to deny Robbie Keane and then, in the most promising chance of the match so far, Kevin Doyle somehow failed to get a more meaningful contact on Lawrence’s cross, it was the Irish fans who were suddenly making all the noise.

Did we dare believe? We did, oh how we did, just past the half-hour, when what was already shaping up as a terrific Irish performance was rewarded with the longed-for and thoroughly deserved goal. And a beauty it was too, owing everything to skill and nothing to pot luck. Lawrence and Glenn Whelan were both involved in working the ball cleverly from right to left and, after that, the old boys took over. Kevin Kilbane and Damien Duff linked up brilliantly and, from Duff’s perfect pull-back, there was Robbie Keane to find the bottom corner of the net for his 41st goal for his country.

The away goal. The tie levelled. And now it really was game on. By the end of the half, Shay Given still had to make a serious save and, as the whistle sounded, thunderous French boos and jubilant Irish cheers told their own tale. The two big questions: could Ireland possibly keep this up for another 45 minutes? And could it get even better? Answers: they did and should have.

When John O’ Shea, availing of terrible French marking at the back post, wasted another good opportunity right after the restart from Lawrence’s free-kick, you feared Ireland might have to pay for such profligacy. And even more so on the hour when, after Lawrence’s perfectly weighted pass had ripped open the French rearguard, Damien Duff was unable to get the better of Hugo Lloris.

The sight of two of Trapattoni’s first-choice players, Glenn Whelan and John O’ Shea, forced to leave the field of play – to be replaced by Darron Gibson and Paul McShane, respectively – gave cause for concern about now seriously reduced options on the Irish bench should the game go to extra time. Worryingly too, this was a period – with just 20 minutes of normal time left – when France were enjoying their best spell of the game, beginning to force the visitors to set-up camp in their own half.

But then came yet another head-in-the-hands Irish miss, Keane and Lawrence sharply combining in the box only for the skipper’s too heavy touch to take him around the ‘keeper but, agonisingly, also take the ball over the endline.

There was still time for one last Irish chance – we’d almost lost count of them by that stage – but when Lassana Diarra simply gifted Keane the ball, the skipper’s tired effort sailed over the bar. And when Ireland then survived a final mad goalmouth scramble at the other end, we knew we were in for the further energy-sapping test of extra time.

First blood almost went to France, Anelka’s drive whizzing just past Given’s post but, as fatigue mounted and errors accumulated, there was a sense the tie might yet be decided by a freak moment rather than one born of inspiration. For the second time in the two legs, Given survived a big penalty claim, this time at the feet of Anelka, and the dream lived on. But then, in the 102nd minute, it was dashed in the worst possible way as defender William Gallas forced the ball over the line from close range, sparking furious Irish protests that Thierry Henry had handled as he contrived to make the assist – an injustice confirmed minutes later by TV replays. When will FIFA allows match officials access to the same evidence? It proved the decisive moment in 210 minutes of football and meant ultimately, Ireland were eliminated by the cruellest twist of fate.

The sadness of the outcome was intensified by the realisation that a number of Ireland’s most loyal servants – men like Robbie Keane, Damien Duff, Kevin Kilbane – might have seen their best and possibly last chance to return to the finals of the World Cup evaporate into the cold Paris night. And, for Richard Dunne, who has become the beating heart of the Irish defence in recent years, there would be the additional blow of knowing that, while he travelled as part of the squad to Japan and Korea, his contribution to that World Cup experience was confined to the training pitch. But the vast majority of this squad should be around for the next European Championships.

In the meantime, Giovanni Trapattoni will review progress and, in return, have his own progress reviewed. While his arrival has marked an upturn in fortunes – restoring stability to a directionless team and repairing its relationship with the fans – last night confirmed that, while, he has brought them a very long way, he has not yet turned them into winners. But for now, we can only mourn the passing of another qualification opportunity and rail against the injustice. But let’s not forget while there was disappointment last night, there was no dishonour in a performance that had everything but the luck of the you know who.