Colin Sheridan: Saturday night we were blinded by the glare of a star that imploded years ago

Republic of Ireland's Seamus Coleman (left) appears dejected after Luxembourg's Gerson Rodrigues scores their side's first goal of the game. Picture: Brian Lawless

The IPAs were in the fridge cooling. The DADÁ was open, breathing like Sam Bennett on L’Alpe d’Huez. Kids were put to bed early. There was something romantically liberating in the bar being set so decidedly low but, for an hour before kick-off on Saturday night, a feeling of palpable excitement hung around watching the Republic of Ireland senior men’s team play a designated minnow.

Luxembourg may no longer be a team of bankers and barbers, but they weren’t a team of Tadics, either. Coming off a 3-2 loss in Belgrade, all the goal talk was mercifully dispensed with. Now, it was about winning which, still, rather annoyingly, required us to score goals. But having notched a couple on the road midweek, the feeling was they’d come as easily as a vaccine from the Beacon.