The killer goal

IT may not count for much in the long-run but there are good reasons why Kevin Kilbane’s goal against the Czech Republic was Liam Mackey’s sporting highlight of the year.

SOMETIMES great moments in sport have nothing to do with lifting cups or breaking records. Sometimes it’s enough to see a wounded combatant getting up off his knees and living to fight another day. Sometimes mere survival is as heroic as it gets.

In what was a generally miserable year for Irish football on the international stage, Kevin Kilbane’s goal against the Czech Republic at Lansdowne Road stands out as a moment to cherish. Unlike Michel’s own goal in the 1989 win over Spain or Jason McAteer’s celebrated decider in the 2001 qualifer against Holland, Kilbane’s thumping strike on October 11, 2006 may ultimately go down in Lansdowne history as a mere statistic rather than as a milestone in qualification for the finals of a major tournament.