Forget Paris, we’ll always have Tallinn

PARIS? Forget that.

We’ll always have Tallinn.

The circle is complete, the wound healed. Irish fans were once again rubbing their eyes in disbelief last night, but after a play-off that was as far removed from the Stade de France as was possible. The only similarity was one set of fans’ displeasure with the referee.

Let’s thank the lord it wasn’t the visitors’.

Viktor Kassai came with an impressive pedigree and a history of officiating at some of the game’s most high-profile fixtures and he showed little hesitation in making the hard calls when he felt they were required.

Two red cards for a home team in a game of this import is almost unheard of and the dismissals of Andrei Stepanov and Raio Piiroja led to the Hungarian official feeling the wrath of the home support. ‘F*** the referee,” was the tune of choice at the final whistle.

“I can understand the Estonian people being upset,” said the Ireland manager. “That’s okay for fans but you know the rules. In both situations the players that were sent off were the last man back and one fouled and the other handled the ball. These are international rules.”

No doubt those decisions will colour the coverage in these parts for the foreseeable future but this was a night that will go down in history for the visitors, both for the size of the win and the significance of the result.

For Trapattoni, too, this was a major staging post.

This is a man who has won league titles in Italy, Germany, Portugal and Austria, but this compared with almost all of them. Well, maybe not those days guiding Juventus to success in his native land but everything else, certainly.

“I would compare it to any other achievement in a foreign land, one of my most important. I came into a situation where players didn’t bother answering calls sometimes. They understood how serious we were and how we picked on merit. We brought in 10 or 12 new players but we have retained the same mentality and spirit.”

This was vindication on an enormous scale for a man whose methods have been picked and poked at by all and sundry ever since he took up the reins from the shambolic Steve Staunton and an example of that was his decision to start Jonathan Walters.

The Stoke City striker justified his selection with a display of intelligence and no little sweat but Trap discussed the matter with his trademark humour last night even if much of it was unintended, as per usual.

“The reporters’ jobs are to write and ask questions,” he began. “Maybe I don’t speak English or even Italian very well because I make a lot of mistakes but after more than 30 years in football I know what I’m doing.

“I’m not God but I picked him because I knew the pitch was not great and because we were away from home. it was important that he held the ball up. That’s not just my opinion, it’s fact and it’s why I picked him.

“In the game last month against Armenia, Walters showed his quality. Of course it was possible that he would not play well here but this was the thinking and we got it right.”

This was a result, he admitted, that was beyond his wildest dreams and, though he was wary of rubbing salt into Estonian wounds, he made it clear in an understated sort of way that his team is capable of playing even better.

They were still plenty good here. With the play-off only half-done, Ireland are 99% done although the Italian was eager to stress the importance of the second leg, if only for the reasons of momentum and growing self-belief.

“The cat is in the bag but the bag is not yet closed,” he warned to much amusement. “But I hope the Ireland fans can celebrate in Dublin on Tuesday. We cannot defend the result but play with the same mentality and the same performance.”

A performance and some more goals would be nice and a fitting way to pay tribute to Michael D Higgins who will be marking his first high-profile public as president but Michael D has already had his inauguration. Tuesday will be all about the players. And Trap.

Hail to the chief.