TV View: Jon Walters magic cuts a long story short

A lot done, more to do. Will Ireland succeed?

“Just about,” John Giles predicts. Liam Brady reckons they have the will to do it but they “must demonstrate the temperament”.

Eamon Dunphy “fervently hopes” they will. Faith, hope and nerves of steel — the nerves of steel needed by the TV audience, of course. This could be a lonnnnnggggg night.

Over to George Hamilton, who welcomes us to “90 minutes or possibly more”. Oh God, please not extra time. And as for the prospect of penalties, let’s not even go there. The night will be long enough as it is.

Ireland bolt from the traps. Robbie Brady, charging forward down the left, twice gets round the back to help force corners. George deems “the door is ajar” on that flank.

Turns out there’s more than one door in the vicinity, according to Ronnie, who wants Ireland to “keep knocking on them doors”.

Midway through the half, the door — one of them, at any rate — is pushed firmly open. Penalty to Ireland. Jonathan Walters sweeps it home. George gets excited. “Bosnia have to score twice to stop the march to France!”

Er, really? When an equaliser will tie everything up on aggregate and usher in the prospect of penalties, a scenario that might well stop the march to France?

He recollects himself and calms down a minute or two later, amending his assertion slightly. Bosnia will have to score twice to stop Ireland qualifying directly, he says. That’s better.

The half wears on. The visitors enjoy a good spell. There isn’t quite — to rehash a line from Friday night — Pjanic on the streets of Dublin 4, but Ireland are under the cosh for a while.

An interesting subplot is unfolding. Emir Spahic, the BosHerz centre-back, was yellow-carded early on. You’d think he’d be minding his manners. He isn’t... This may not be the last of it, one senses.

Back in studio they’re happy. All apart from Darragh Maloney, who reveals his nerves are shot. And apart from Liam, who gets “a little bit frightened” when Pjanic — “much, much better” than he was on Friday — is in possession.

Should it have been a penalty, Darragh wonders? John agrees it was harsh, “but they’re given nowadays”. He doesn’t believe BosHerz are up to much, adding: “If Ireland can get a second goal I think we’ll stroll home.”

Midway through the second half. Ronnie takes to lamenting all the hustling and bustling Ireland are doing. “We can’t get the ball down and pass it.”

Enter Spahic again. You can’t say we didn’t flag it. Walters takes the ball to chest and Spahic kicks him in the midriff. It looks worse on the replay. No card. Just a free. Ronnie is outraged.

But hold, what’s this? Nemesis, that’s what.

Brady curls the free kick in from the left, one of the defenders skies it heavenwards and the ball drops at the far post for Walters, with glorious technique, to guide it into the net.

The Aviva erupts.

In the end, not such a lonnnnnnnggggg night after all. Thank God.