Ireland bloom in the green fields of France

“I KNEW that Damien Duff and Robbie Keane and players like that would be a threat and tonight they showed that if you give them space they can destroy a team.

“I didn’t have any doubt that Ireland had a good squad but tonight they showed they can really play football. Going forward I’d have to say they are the best team I’ve seen in the group so far.”

Words that would be music to the ears of Brian Kerr no matter who said them, they begin to sound like a number one hit when the speaker is a man regarded by many as the greatest striker in the world. An hour or so after a draw that must have felt more like a defeat, Thierry Henry was graciousness itself as he took time out to talk to journalists in the Stade de France on Saturday night.

Roy Keane, by contrast, maintained his media silence but then, unlike Henry, he’d already let his feet do all the talking on the field. Still, it would have been interesting to hear how he rated this away draw, particularly in comparison with the 2-2 result in Amsterdam in September 2000 when, going against the grain, he said that surrendering a two-goal lead offered little cause for celebration.

This time, I suspect he would view the glass as half-full rather than half-empty. His body language at the close, as he shared in the hugs and handshakes with team-mates and applauded the Irish support, bespoke a man who was happy with what another star of the show, Kevin Kilbane, modestly described as “a good shift”.

Even if there was a slight hint of regret that they hadn’t taken all three points from a hugely impressive performance, the Irish players were entitled to take deep pleasure in what was by some distance the best 90 minutes so far of the Kerr era. Kilbane fully deserved his man of the match performance, and not only for a midfield display that saw him win countless heading duels and make vital interceptions to win possession.

We’ve always known Kilbane as a tireless, honest and big-hearted operator, but with his fine distribution of the ball on Saturday night he also underlined why, at their base in Clarefontaine the day before the game, French manager Raymond Domenech had named him, along with Duff, Keane and Reid as Ireland’s most technically accomplished players.

For club and country, and in a comparatively new role in central midfield, Kilbane just seems to be getting better and better. While so much of the talk going into this campaign had been about the emergence of a gifted player like Andy Reid or the return of a hardened veteran like Keane, the fact that Kilbane has made so much of his chance in the heart of the Irish midfield is an unexpected surprise.

It also suggests that while Wednesday’s game against the Faroe Islands game could offer Kerr a perfect opportunity to check on the player’s well-being, Matt Holland, ruled out of the qualifying campaign so far through injury, will have a right battle on his hands to regain a permanent place beside Roy Keane.

In central midfield in Paris, Kilbane may have caught the eye more, but Keane’s contribution was immense. Two uncompromising tackles in the first four minutes, both whistled up as fouls, signalled his intent. His style of play over 90 minutes is more reserved these days but his sheer presence has not been diluted. Whether relieving pressure or putting Ireland on the front foot, Keane’s decision-making was invariably spot-on.

The Corkman’s influence extended beyond his actual work with the ball. There was a telling cameo in the second half, coming off a period of sustained French pressure, when Stephen Carr picked up the ball in space in the right-back position. As Carr looked up to assess his options his mind was made up for him by Keane who, with a sweep of the arm, urged the defender forward. Carr obliged, crossing the halfway line with purpose, and it was from his newly advanced position that he played an angled ball which Robbie Keane flicked goalwards with his head, only for Fabien Barthez to make the save. It was Ireland on the night in microcosm: from a defensive position, a half-chance had suddenly been created at the other end.

Inevitably, there were periods in the game when the home side forced the pace, particularly after the break, but it’s a measure of how effectively Ireland pressed the game that the final five minutes of a crucial World Cup qualifier in the Stade de France were played almost entirely at the French end.

After the game, Henry was quick to point out that this French team is in a period of transition, and certainly the line-up in Paris on Saturday was a shadow of the star-studded sides which won the World Cup and European Championship back-to-back. Yet, the presence of quality players like Pires, Henry, Wiltord and Gallas meant the game could have been turned in France’s favour in an instant. It might have been only a fleeting example of their extravagant talents, but the move which saw a Pires shot produce a great one-handed save from Shay Given, was the most fluent and incisive either side produced.

So Ireland deserve every credit for how well they contained the French threat and how splendidly they moved the ball about when going forward. Clinton Morrison was having a fine game until his unfortunate injury but the surprise introduction of Reid upfront underlined the range of creative attacking options now open to Kerr. There’s little point in knocking long high balls up to Reid; instead Ireland were able to play to his strengths by getting it to him on the floor. After taking a little time to settle, Reid duly showed his willingness to shoot on sight, and is another useful weapon in the Irish armoury.

This was a night when the Irish attacked and defended as a unit, and for most of the game got the balance just right between caution and sometimes thrilling adventure. Played out in a wonderful setting, with the Irish fans creating what L’Equipe called “une formidable ambiance”, it all added up to the most memorable evening for Irish football since Robbie Keane pounced late on in Ibaraki to give Ireland a deserved draw against the Germans in the 2002 World Cup.

“Que sera sera, we’re going to Germany,” the Green Army chorused at the end. A tad premature but you could understand their optimism. Had John O’Shea’s snap-shot been just a few inches to the right they might even have been celebrating an epic achievement in the history of Irish football. But in this tightest of qualifying groups, a huge step in the right direction will do just fine.