Record-breaker Robbie’s enchanted evening

WORLD CUP QUALIFIER GROUP C:

In terms of what it all means for Ireland’s World Cup qualifying hopes, Keane’s hat-trick as the home side comfortably dismissed the Faroe Islands, was given some modest added value with the news from Vienna that Austria had defeated a Swedish side which still retains a game in hand over both its rivals in the race for second place in Group C behind Germany. Of course, a draw in the Austrian capital would have been the ideal result for Giovanni Trapattoni, while there’s no doubt his own Irish side could have done a good deal more to improve their own fortunes had they taken some of the other chances which came their way last night.

Still, on what was a milestone occasion for Robbie Keane, it would be churlish to pick too many holes in Ireland’s performance. The home side had hit the ground running against their modest opponents, only five minutes having elapsed before Keane was bringing his record goal tally for his country to 57. Setting the tone for a fine personal display, Wes Hoolahan was the chief architect in the build-up, spreading the ball out diagonally to Aiden McGeady. And when the winger’s pull-back arrived at the feet of the skipper, there was only one place the ball was going after that as, even though Keane’s contact was not the firmest, it was enough to steer the ball under the dive of Gunnar Nielsen and into the net.