Old foe awaits Ireland

WHILE the Euro 2012 trail is looking decidedly warm at the moment, the World Cup qualifier path just took a turn for the worse.

Record German goalscorer, Miroslav Klose, has vowed to play on at international level until the 2014 World Cup finals.

The 33-year-old forward joined Lazio on a two-year deal in the close season from Bayern Munich after scoring only one league goal last season. However, Klose has rediscovered his scoring touch in Italy, grabbing four goals in six Serie A games so far.

“If all goes well I will play at Lazio until 2014, then the World Cup and then that’s it,” he said.

Klose is joint second on the all-time World Cup scoring list with 14 goals alongside fellow German Gerd Muller.