Unlike John Egan and Enda Stevens, who both made it to Croker on Sunday, Darren Randolph watched proceedings on television and, as one goalkeeper observing another, was much taken with the performance of the Dublin netminder Stephen Cluxton.

Seamus Coleman says he regrets that Ireland weren’t able to put on “a show” for the fans at the Aviva last night.

Ireland hero Darren Randolph revealed his side were determined to give Denmark a battle in Friday night’s 1-1 draw.

The last time Shane Duffy scored against Denmark with a header…well, do we really need to go through all that again?

Mick McCarthy had talked before this one about how his ambition was to win with style, and his team certainly delivered on both counts to the delight of the Aviva last night.

The lessons learned from Rep of Ireland v Georgia.

After the Rock, it’s time for Ireland to roll.

“We’re at home and we know that we can turn up,” said Shane Duffy, expressing confidence that Ireland can put their scare in Gibraltar behind them and produce what, it hardly needs saying, will need to be a far better performance against tricky customers Georgia in Dublin tomorrow night.

This was a story of gale force rather than gael force, as a struggling Ireland scrambled to a 1-0 victory against lowly Gibraltar.

The only bit of good Nations League news out of last night for Ireland is that, with Denmark’s stand-off with their federation now resolved, they are sure to present a rather more formidable obstacle to Wales in Aarhus on Sunday than sorry Ireland were able to muster in Cardiff.

Darren Randolph has admitted his shock at the manner of the Republic of Ireland's World Cup play-off nightmare.

After delivering a disciplined display in Copenhagen, Ireland’s players are confident that their record of emerging victorious from must-win games can count against Denmark tomorrow night.

If they beat us to go to the World Cup, we’ll cry for six months, writes Enda McEvoy

Darren wasn't the only member of the Randolph family heroically saving his team last night.

Cyrus Christie has challenged the Republic of Ireland to win the World Cup war against Denmark after edging the battle in Copenhagen.

Martin O’Neill has said he would be disappointed if James McClean was not feeling frustrated about his restricted game time at West Brom.

Martin O’Neill has called for his Republic of Ireland players to draw on their recent experiences after they were paired with Denmark in the play-offs for next summer’s World Cup.

Looking down half the length of the pitch towards the Irish penalty area, it was like watching film of the sun coming up over the mountains — on fast repeat.

Forget weary Wembley’s limp and half-hearted response to England’s recent qualification for Russia, forget those cynics who say international football doesn’t matter - anyone wanting to get a real flavour of what the World Cup really means should take a look at what happened on an historic night in Cardiff.

You’ll remember the bottle of gin from Friday. The hipsterish Brooklyn Gin with the hand-cracked juniper berries and freshly cut citrus peels. The seal remains unbroken.

James McClean sent the Republic of Ireland into a World Cup play-off as Wales' hopes of qualification were ended by a 1-0 defeat in Cardiff.

Daryl Murphy's first-half double set up an intriguing World Cup qualification trip to Wales as the Republic of Ireland eased past Moldova 2-0.

“We have to win the games and the equation is really simple,” was Martin O’Neill’s decisive summation yesterday, as he contemplated Ireland’s World Cup qualifying landscape with two group games to go.

Beneath the crabby exterior beats the heart of an incurable and not yet completely disillusioned romantic. Despite Tbilisi, despite everything, Liam Brady thinks Ireland can win. He realises he ought to know better. He just can’t help himself.

Ireland’s World Cup hopes are hanging by a thread after Serbia ended the Republic’s unbeaten record last night at the Aviva to take firm control of Group D.

Aleksandar Kolarov wrecked the Republic of Ireland's World Cup dream as 10-man Serbia eased themselves to the brink of qualification on a controversial night in Dublin.

The dream start of a fourth-minute Shane Duffy goal gave way to something more like a prolonged nightmare for Martin O’Neill’s team in Tbilisi on Saturday, as an abject performance and a third successive draw in qualifying put a significant dent in Ireland’s World Cup ambitions ahead of the crunch meeting with Serbia tomorrow night.

Even though the club made it clear that he would not be their Number One choice this season, prompting his decision to drop down a division to join Middlesbrough, Darren Randolph takes no pleasure in seeing his former employers West Ham propping up the Premier League with no points and eight goals conceded after three games.

Ireland international goalkeeper Darren Randolph has admitted his hopes of playing at next year’s World Cup hopes influenced his decision to leave West Ham for Middlesbrough.

Ireland No. 1 Darren Randolph’s future at West Ham looks uncertain with Joe Hart’s loan deal to the Hammers expected to be confirmed today.

A throwback this and not just because it was, in the main, an atavistic reversion to the old long ball game from Ireland, an all too familiar one-dimensional approach which looked like it was never going to pay off – until it did.

Darren Randolph or Keiren Westwood?

With Austria’s visit just a week away, this was a timely boost for Ireland as they produced a convincing victory which could not be undermined even by a quite spectacular miss from Jon Walters.

The Republic of Ireland have beaten Uruguay 3-1 in their international friendly in Dublin.

Packie Bonner has no concerns about Darren Randolph retaining the goalkeeper’s jersey for Ireland despite recently losing his place at West Ham.

Arsenal returned to winning ways with a solid victory over West Ham as a fifth straight defeat plunged Slaven Bilic's visitors deeper into the fight for Premier League survival.

On the road to Russia, where booby traps have to be dodged, a steady head like Darren Randolph admits Ireland have to be pleased with how they’ve negotiated the first half of the journey.

There is a theory that playing for England isn’t the draw it used to be, given the pressure that comes with it, and the ever-increasing rewards that are now the norm at the higher end of the club game, but there are no signs of it gaining currency on this side of the water.

Just about five minutes in, David Meyler had gone in hard on Joe Allen and over 51,000 sets of eyeballs zeroed in on the Italian dressed in black.

Premier League

Eden Hazard and Diego Costa were on target as clinical Chelsea swatted aside West Ham 2-1 to take a 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

West Ham0, Manchester United 2: Manchester United had two dreadful refereeing decisions to thank for a sixth successive Premier League victory which maintains their charge for the top four. Not that Jose Mourinho cared.