French shine as Ireland challenge a damp squib

France 2 Rep Ireland 0

If Ireland brought anything at all to the French party in Paris last night it was the weather. It certainly wasn’t anything you could credibly describe as creative or ambitious football.

All of that was played by the hosts, though they still needed some generosity from the visitors to score the two first-half goals that gave them victory and gave their supporters something to sing about, despite torrential rain in the Stade de France.