Keane stays defiant in face of France and history

MARK LAWRENSON’S was the name on a lot of lips late on Saturday night as the full ramifications of Ireland’s 1-0 defeat – and the extent of the task facing them in two days’ time – began to sink in.

It is 22 years since the former Liverpool defender caught Scotland napping with a quick free-kick at Hampden Park and sent a daisy-cutter beyond Jim Leighton and into the net after eight minutes.

To many, that goal and the victory it earned was the day when the Jack Charlton era truly began to gather momentum but it remains the last time that an Irish team defeated a ‘ranked’ side in their own back garden.

Which isn’t to say that the years since haven’t been littered with memorable displays away from Dublin. They undoubtedly have, and at the rate of approximately one per campaign, in fact.

Since that February evening in 1987, Ireland have returned from England, Poland, Denmark, Spain, Holland, Portugal, Switzerland, France, Italy and Bulgaria with morale-boosting draws.

The problem is that, on at least half of those occasions, the bounty should have been much greater and that is the worry as Giovanni Trapattoni’s men attempt to claim what would be this country’s greatest ever victory on Wednesday.

Who could forget Ray Houghton’s miss at Wembley in the Euro ‘92 qualifiers when England were run ragged in the 1-1 draw, or the game in Poland seven months later when a 3-1 lead was let slip?

How about the Amsterdam Arena in 2001 when Mick McCarthy’s side led 2-0, the 0-0 the last time Brian Kerr’s outfit went to Paris – and outplayed the French – or the oh-so-close effort against 10-man Italy in Bari in this campaign?

It all adds up to a massive ask for an Irish team which tasted defeat over the weekend even if they were roundly applauded, in most circles, for a spirited performance in the first leg.

Is the belief there to make a go of it in Stade de France?

“It has to be,” said captain Robbie Keane. “We have no choice in the matter. We are not talking about just a normal game, we are talking about qualifying for the World Cup. All the lads are desperate to get there and we will be devastated if we don’t.”

Not to be a killjoy, here, but there is another worrying trend that should be pointed out just in case anyone is not yet fully up to speed with the mountain the Irish side must climb.

Ireland have failed to score a goal against France for 320 minutes, a run which stretches back to 1981 at Lansdowne Road when Michael Robinson scored the third in a famous 3-2 win.

It is a span which includes a friendly in 1989, those two qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup and the tie two days ago. Clearly, it is going to take something special to book their flights to South Africa.

“Of course,” Keane accepted. “We do make it hard for ourselves sometimes but we usually do okay away from home. Sometimes when things aren’t going well for us we can turn it around and hopefully that will be the case on Wednesday.

“Of course we didn’t want to concede a goal and we did that. We knew it was going to be tough and it’s going to be even tougher now going to France but it is certainly possible.”

The template is there for Ireland to be competitive. The performances in Bari and Sofia earlier this year prove that this Irish team can hope to keep things tight and perhaps keep the tie alive well into the Parisian night.

“Against Italy and in previous years against the big nations, if you like, we have always done well. Listen, it is not going to be easy but in that dressing room we believe that … we have to believe that we can go on and win this game because if you don’t believe we won’t,’’ Keane said.

An early goal in Paris would, at the very least, make it interesting and put a mirror up to this French team which has had its mental fortitude questioned in recent years.

Ireland travel to the French capital in the knowledge that they could – and should – have scored at least once in Croke Park, with Liam Lawrence’s 22nd minute chance having been the pick of the bunch.

“We created a good few half-chances but we didn’t have too many clear-cut chances which was a bit disappointing. We made a few half-chances and they maybe had one half chance and then obviously the goal,’’ Keane said. “That’s a bit disappointing but we would have had to score anyway so it will make an interesting game on Wednesday. We have to have the belief that we can go there and win the game.”

The key may be set-pieces. The build-up to Saturday’s game was littered with references to France’s defensive vulnerability from dead balls and John O’Shea came closest in that regard from a Damien Duff corner shortly after the break.

“We didn’t get many free kicks and a few corners maybe,” said Keane. “That’s something we’d be hoping to get a few of on Wednesday. We’ve seen (their) games on video and seen a lot of goals from corners and set pieces.

“That’s something we did work on this week but we didn’t get enough tonight. Hopefully, that’ll be different on Wednesday.”

Hopefully, the result will be, too.