Ireland show the kind of football, the kind of attitude, to make a nation proud

Forget weary Wembley’s limp and half-hearted response to England’s recent qualification for Russia, forget those cynics who say international football doesn’t matter - anyone wanting to get a real flavour of what the World Cup really means should take a look at what happened on an historic night in Cardiff.

Take in the celebrations of the Boys in Green, the tears of those in red, the sheer concentration and determination showed by the Republic’s heroic players and you’ll be halfway to understanding why the World Cup continues to mean so much, certainly outside of London.

It was never possible for both these teams to finish the night happy but nevertheless it was not only tension and apprehension which filled the Welsh air but also raw passion, overflowing pride and a sheer determination to make something special happen on the pitch. And so it did as Martin O’Neill’s boys clinched a play-off place with a classic away performance.