The two that got away

Republic of Ireland 2 Israel 2

Ireland surrendered an early two-goal advantage along with almost total domination of the play, to allow Israel smash and grab the unlikeliest of away points in a World Cup qualifying group in which everything but the expected seems to happen.

For the third time in the campaign, Brian Kerr's team seized the initiative and failed to capitalise. But Saturday night was different, at times freakishly so. Unlike in the previous draws in Basel and Tel Aviv, here the Irish had home advantage, an even more solid platform inside 11 minutes, and a growing sense, for a long period in the first half, that not just three points but perhaps victory of a crushingly superior kind was on the cards.