We're on our way

By Caroline O'Doherty, Yokohama

IT'S sayonara Yokohama and so on to Suwon as Ireland's Asian odyssey continues after victory over Saudi Arabia in their World Cup first round decider.

The squad will be in the air and on their way from Japan to South Korea when Ireland wakes this morning to the thrilling realisation that there's more excitement to come in the country's enthralling World Cup adventure when the next instalment is played out at Suwon city near Seoul on Sunday.

The place in the second round showdown with either Spain or South Africa followed a historic 3-0 defeat of the Saudis in front of an ecstatic crowd of more than 65,000 people at the International Stadium in Yokohama.

With time left to play, fans were dancing the conga in the upper stands of the massive arena as Korea stopped being a dream and became a destination. Certainty before the final whistle is a rare thing in an Ireland game and the fans lapped it up. Yet in a night thick with humidity and drenched in hot sticky rain there were fears the dream would slip from clammy hands and nervous hearts like the ball that at times slid messily around the pitch.

Robbie Keane's seventh minute goal set the perfect early tone but it was a long and uneasy wait through halftime and 55 minutes of play before Gary Breen provided the all-important follow-up to ensure passage to Korea.

The second half magic that has characterised the Irish game this World Cup worked once again and Damien Duff finally got to finish what he had started so many times before in the three first round clashes when his shot passed the hapless Saudi keeper with four minutes left to play.

A relieved Mick McCarthy hailed his heroes in green after a sometimes tense 90 minutes.

"Saudi Arabia played well in the first half but in the second half I thought we were excellent. It's great to go through. The lads responded really well."

Captain fantastic Steve Staunton said the fans played major part in a record breaking day.

"The fans are absolutely unbelievable, they just keep on coming and following us. You just had to listen to the noise and see the green around the stadium.¨

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern hailed yesterday's win as a magnificent achievement for a small country.

"We're a small country and we've a small population. It's a great achievement to get through the group and into the second round,¨ he said.

And so it's on to Suwon. Around half the fans who travelled to Japan for the first round matches are thought to be following the team on to Korea by plane, ferry and hovercraft and by road, rail and campsite once they get there.

All eyes now are on today's game in Daejeon, Korea, between Spain and South Africa, which will decide which team meet Ireland in Suwon at 12.30pm Irish time on Sunday.

Most bets are on Spain and the smart money is on Ireland to sneak a win.

If it's South Africa, Ireland have the confidence of knowing they've already gone beyond a strong African side in Cameroon.

It may be goodbye to good times in Japan, but it's beginning to feel like it's only the beginning.