The final twist?

Ireland 1 Switzerland 2

Victory flattered Switzerland but not to the extent that their win came as a major shock. While Ireland enjoyed more of the play and dominated the second half they found that good organisation, excellent technique and a capacity to make the most of their scoring chances served the Swiss well.

They were confined to their own penalty area for long periods after half-time but they defended with such efficiency and such confidence that goalkeeper Stiel was rarely threatened. So Mick McCarthy's remarkable record of never having presided over a losing Irish team in a competitive match at Lansdowne was wrecked. Ireland's long unbeaten run stretched back over 18 matches in total, 17 of them in McCarthy's reign.