VIDEO: All Ireland heads for France after stunning Euro qualification

Republic of Ireland 2 Bosnia-Herzegovina 0, Ireland win 3-1 on aggregate: Mission accomplished and, surprisingly for Ireland — where, as football folk know, we’re far more accustomed to doing things the hard way — with even a bit to spare.

Fittingly, it was two goals from Jon Waters, arguably the team’s best player over the whole qualification campaign, which means that the Republic has reached its third European Championship finals and will join our friends in the north to ensure an all-island representation in France next summer.

There were fantastic scenes on the pitch after the final whistle, as Martin O’Neill, Roy Keane and the players showed their unalloyed delight, and the ecstatic supporters responded in kind.

And the celebrations were fully deserved on the night for, having done the heavy lifting in Zenica, Ireland never really looked like surrendering that hard earned initiative in Dublin.

Play-offs are meant to be tense, anxious, nail-biting experiences for Irish fans but this was something completely different: A positive, commanding, controlled display which made the most of the couple of opportunities that came the way of the home side while restricting Edin Dzeko and company to little or nothing s with which to give themselves hope.

This then, was as close to a routine competitive victory as you’re likely to experience in this stadium, and for Ireland to carry it off on such a high stakes night, was a real credit to O’Neill and his players.

Over the span of 14 months which began with a bit of Aiden McGeady magic bailing the team out in Georgia, the Irish haven’t so much blown hot and cold as swung dizzyingly between abject and epic.

Making a rollercoaster look like an airport runway, the campaign encompassed the high of victory over Germany and the low of defeat to Scotland, with a lot of dropped and rescued points scattered in between.

Happily, last night’s end game concluded the saga on a feelgood, upward curve, ensuring that memorable moments like John O’Shea’s equaliser in Gelsenkirchen, Shane Long’s stunning winner in Dublin and, most recently, the Robbie Brady’s goal which illuminated the gloom in Zenica will now lose none of their lustre as the winter rolls in. And to them, can be added the Walters one-two.

As last night’s player armbands reminded us, Paris has much more solemn things on its mind right now than football, yet it is in that grieving city that the next chapter of France 2016 will unfold when the draw for the finals takes place on December 12.

And how good it feels to be able to say that Ireland manager will be one of the 24 teams in the mix.

While Bosnia coach Mehmed Bazdarevic made three changes from the side which had laboured to a draw at home — including dropping a striker Vedad Ibisevic for an extra attacking midfielder in Haris Medunjanin — Martin O’Neill was content with just the one, the mighty Walters returning from suspension and, following his troubled night in Zenica, and Stephen Ward dropping out. That was no surprise but his replacement with Robbie Brady reverting to full back was, not least because his goal from an advanced, albeit central, position last Friday night seemed to have confirmed the value of deploying his creativity further up the pitch.

As things turned out, Brady was not to be denied his role in the victory by having to put in the extra hard yards, the Dubliner emerging as one of the success stories of the night.

The retention of Wes Hoolahan met with universal approval, however, as did Ireland’s efforts to take the game to nervous looking opposition right from the off, Brady allaying initial fears about his position by demonstrating his pace up and down the left flank and linking well with Jeff Hendrick to construct some promising Irish attacks.

James McCarthy too was imposing himself in midfield as Ireland made much the brighter start.

Bosnia were under the cosh for most of the opening 20 minutes, with Friday night’s danger man Edin Visca more invisible than he was in the fog of Zenica.

And Ireland soon got the reward their enterprising and committed approach deserved, even if it came about in fortuitous circumstances as Ervin Zukanovic was harshly penalised for handball when Daryl Murphy’s ball across the box glanced off his arm.

And in front of a gleeful home crowd — presumably satisfied that play-off history meant Ireland were owed, as it were, a helping hand — the reliable Walters made no mistake from the spot, sending Asmir Begovic the wrong way.

Now even more rattled, Bosnia responded with strong arm tactics while the home side kept their cool, with Hendrick, in particular, having an outstanding game.

Still, in the 33rd minute, there was reminder that the visitors continued to posed a threat when, from an Edin Dzeko knockdown, Medujanin fired a warning shot over the top.

Ireland might have been in control of proceedings but one goal conceded and the whole tie would be right back in the balance.

Concerned that his players were now dropping too deep and in the knowledge, already clear from the ebb and flow of the game, that attack would be the best form of defence for his team, O’Neill could be seen on the touchline frantically waving his players further up the pitch, almost as if they were chasing the game.

And so the big question at half-time: Could Ireland now build on their advantage or, by continuing to drop off, would they allow Bosnia away back into the tie?

Nine minutes after the restart, O’Neill had seen enough of his side’s worrying loss of momentum and boldly made a double substitution, Shane Long, finally out of sick bay, and James McClean coming on for Daryl Murphy and Wes Hoolahan, with Hendrick moving into a central position.

With Bosnia still seeing more of the ball but not, it must be said, unduly troubling Darren Randolph, the second Irish goal the crowd craved arrived in the 68th minute when Walters reinforced his inestimable value to this team, first taking a kick to the stomach to win a free and then, when Brady’s wicked delivery — by far his most effective set piece of the night — popped up at the far post via a defender’s boot, the Stoke man was perfectly positioned to crash an emphatic volley to the net for his and Ireland’s second goal.

After a trademark lung-busting run, Long might have sealed the deal with 15 minutes to go, only to miss the target under pressure as he tried to steer the ball past Begovic.

There were just a couple of nervy moments as the clock ticked towards full time but, the Irish defence, with Randolph once again a safe pair of hands, held firm, the whole team keeping its discipline to see out the game and the tie, to the rapturous acclaim of Lansdowne Road.

There was still time, with three minutes of added time to play, for John O’Shea to take over the captain’s armband from Glenn Whelan as, with the game safe, O’Neill had the luxury of allowing two of the campaign’s veterans a shared ovation.

And there was even time for Bosnia to be denied the consolation of a goal as an acrobatic shot from Ibisevic — virtually the visitors’ most threatening effort of a disappointing night for them — crashed back off the crossbar.

And then, with the final blast of the whistle, it was a time for celebration, the hugs of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane replicated all over the pitch as the Irish players, staff and fans turned the Aviva Stadium into a party zone.

Rep of Ireland: Randolph, Coleman, Keogh, Clark, Brady, Hendrick, Whelan, McCarthy, Hoolahan, Murphy, Walters.

Subs for Ireland:

Mclean for Hoolahan (54) Long for Murphy (55) O’Shea for Whelan (90)

Bosnia-Herzegovina: Begovic, Vranjes, Zukanovic, Spahic, Kolasinac, Medunjanin, Cocalic, Visca, Pjanic, Lulic, Dzeko.

Subs for Bosnia:

Muhamed Besic for Edin Cocalic (45) Milan Djuric for Haris Medunjanin (68) Vedad Ibisevic for Senad Lulic (79)

Referee:

Bjorn Kuipers