McCarthy’s first campaign ends in frustration

IT had been a sharp learning curve for Mick McCarthy in his first campaign as Irish manager.

A 3-5-2 formation had been embraced lovingly before being abandoned. So too had his insistence that he would only pick players playing regular first-team football but, when the last shots had been fired in Group Eight, Ireland were in second spot.

Like now, that side seemed to prefer life on the road. Wins late in the day in Iceland and Lithuania rescued what was for a time a rapidly deteriorating situation and that trend continued in the play-offs. The first leg was set for Dublin and Ireland’s hopes of reaching the finals in France seemed reasonable enough against a Belgian side that was coming to terms with the loss of men like Enzo Scifo and Philippe Albert.

Key striker Luis Oliveira was also missing for the first game and Irish fans were dusting down their French phrase books after eight minutes in Ballsbridge when a Denis Irwin free-kick put the hosts in front.

It was to be a false dawn. The goal seemed to paralyse Ireland rather than invigorate them and the inevitable happened on the hour when Luc Nilis smashed a 20-yarder beyond Shay Given.

Belgium manager Georges Leekens said afterwards that his side had played “the perfect game’’ and few people were giving Ireland any hope of rescuing the situation in the second leg.

Yes, Belgium were without up to eight key players but, as in the first leg, Ireland were without Roy Keane who had finally begun to bring his club form to the international arena during that campaign.

Irwin also missed the return through injury but the visitors still managed to produce their best performance in over a year, even after Luis Oliveira opened the scoring on 24 minutes.

Ray Houghton produced the equaliser on the hour but hopes of a famous victory dissipated in the last 20 minutes when Nilis restored the Belgians’ lead and David Connolly was sent off soon after his introduction.

The image that sticks in the mind from that night in Brussels more than any other is that of a teary and youthful Shay Given being comforted by Mick Byrne after the final whistle. Like England with penalties, it seemed as if Ireland just weren’t able to come to terms with the vagaries of play-off fixtures, a theory which would gain further credence just two years later.

(First leg)

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Shay Given (Newcastle), Gary Kelly (Leeds Utd), Ian Harte (Leeds Utd), Kenny Cunningham (Wimbledon), Denis Irwin (Manchester Utd), Ray Houghton (Reading), Andy Townsend (Middlesbrough), Steve Staunton (Aston Villa), Mark Kennedy (Liverpool), Tony Cascarino (AS Nancy), David Connolly (Feyenoord).

Subs: Jeff Kenna (Blackburn) for Kennedy 33, Lee Carsley (Derby County) for Townsend 75, Tommy Coyne (Motherwell) for Connolly 82.

BELGIUM: De Wilde, Genaux, Verstraeten, Van Meir, Vidovic, Van Der Elst, Wilmots, Nilis, Goossens, Boffin, Van Kerkckhoven. Subs: De Bilde for Nilis 88, Verheyen for Goosens 88.

Referee: L Vagner (Hungary).

(Second leg)

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Shay Given (Newcastle), Gary Kelly (Leeds Utd), Ian Harte (Leeds Utd), Kenny Cunningham (Wimbledon), Jeff Kenna (Blackburn), Alan McLoughlin (Portsmouth), Andy Townsend (Middlesbrough), Steve Staunton (Aston Villa), Mark Kennedy (Liverpool), Lee Carsley (Derby County), Tony Cascarino (AS Nancy).

Subs: Ray Houghton (Reading) for McLoughlin 49, David Connolly (Feyenoord) for Kennedy 74, David Kelly (Tranmere) for Townsend 86.

BELGIUM: De Wilde, DeFlandre, Verstraeten, De Boeck, Vidovic, Verheyen, Van der Elst, Claessens, Boffin, Nilis, Oliveira. Subs: Borkelmans for Vidovic 65, Goossens for Nilis 89

Referee: G Benko (Austria).