Ireland want it sealed with a win

EVER since Friday, the Irish football team has been a bit like the man whose numbers have come up in the Lotto but who, still a bit stunned by the sequence of figures on the ticket, hasn’t yet quite been able to bring himself to confirm the win.

Tonight, he can cash it in and the champagne corks can finally pop.

Any other outcome would be a shock without precedent in Irish sports history. Ireland not only go into the second leg of their European Championship with a clean sheet and four away goals in the bag, they are also in the luxurious position of being able to field almost a first-choice 11, with only Aiden McGeady being given the benefit of some rest, at least at the start, as Stephen Hunt gets the chance to make an early rather than late impact on the game.