Rockier road to Rio

Republic of Ireland 2 Austria 2

Four points was always the required target for Ireland in these back-to-back games but, after doing the heavy lifting in Stockholm on Friday, they buckled under the weight of expectation in Dublin last night – the first time, after just 11 minutes, and then, heartbreakingly, in almost the very last act of a dramatic night.

Not for the first time, home advantage finally turned out to be nothing of the kind for the Irish at the Aviva as Austria, making the most of the kind of wintry conditions that must have almost made them feel at home instead, left with a vital away point in the three-horse race for a World Cup play-off place.