Forget the marginal gains and just tot Ireland's points

At times it was nervy but James McClean’s heroics in Chisinau not only guaranteed three crucial points for the Republic but also provided a healthy reminder the challenge for Martin O’Neill’s men in this World Cup qualifying process is not to win matches 5-0 but simply to gather enough points to get through.

Most fans knew already, of course. A pre-match vote on the You Boys In Green online forum saw 36% pick a single-goal victory as the most likely outcome – and there wasn’t even a box to tick for the kind of scoreline some pundits were calling for.

The problem is that Ireland’s exciting performances at Euro 2016 have come at a price; now it seems everyone wants it to be like Italy every week – all attacking impetus, high-octane football and glorious wins. A game in Moldova, it was suggested, was a chance to go full throttle and make that vision reality following a narrow and hard-fought 1-0 win over Georgia.