Duff dummies before joining elite 100 club

Olomouc in the Czech Republic is not a million miles away from Poznan — it’s 476.7km to be precise — but it seems like a million years since Damien Duff and Robbie Keane made their senior Irish debuts as fresh-faced kids in a friendly in that Czech town in 1998.

Tonight at the Municipal Stadium here in Poznan, Damien Duff marks a significant milestone on his long journey from there to here, the Fulham winger set to join the Irish centurions’ club as he picks up his 100th cap. But will there be 101?

The 33-year-old said yesterday that he’d made his mind up about his international future but that this was not the time to make that decision public. A bit like some of the defenders he’s tormented over the years, journalists present were left uncertain about which way he’s going to go next.