O’Brien opens account in Irish boost for qualifiers

A FIRST-EVER goal for his country by Newcastle United defender Andy O’Brien was enough to gain the Republic of Ireland another prized scalp, as European Championship finalists Portugal were beaten 1-0 in front of a crowd of just over 44,000 at Lansdowne Road.

With one eye on the resumption of World Cup action in Israel next month, Brian Kerr had promised to field a strong team and he was as good as his word. Ireland's player of the year Kevin Kilbane overcame

minor knocks to take his now customary place in midfield, where he was joined by the familiar figure of long-term injury absentee Matt Holland, returning for his first appearance for Ireland since the game against the Dutch in Amsterdam last June.