Brady: Ireland's time has come

Liam Brady is confident the time has come for the Republic of Ireland to end their long wait for a victory over one of European football’s big guns.

Not since Jason McAteer fired Ireland to an unlikely World Cup qualifying victory over Holland in 2001 have the Republic got the better of one of the continent’s traditional powers, despite a series of near misses.

However, having seen Giovanni Trapattoni’s men come within seconds of a win over reigning world champions Italy last month, Brady believes they can go one better to dump France out of the play-offs and book their trip to South Africa next summer.

Ireland face the French at Croke Park on Saturday evening determined to set themselves up for a winner-takes-all showdown in Paris four days’ later.

Assistant boss Brady said: “I don’t think you can predict how a game is going to go but we would dearly love – and I think it’s very possible – to go to Paris with a win under our belts.

“I know it’s been maybe a long time coming to defeat one of the top nations but the Italian game has given us great confidence and also taught us a couple of lessons that we need to take into this game.

“We conceded a goal against Italy from a set-piece, which we weren’t happy with, and then we didn’t hang on to our lead when we took it with a few minutes to go.

“We have learned big lessons from that game. We have learned that, if we can so nearly beat a team like Italy, we can do the same to France.”

Ireland twice led against the Italians at Croke Park, with Sean St Ledger’s 87th-minute header looking to have handed his side a famous victory and blown Group 8 wide open once again.

However, substitute Alberto Gilardino levelled at the death to secure group victory for Italy and, ultimately, pitch the Republic into battle with seeded France.

Raymond Domenech and his players will arrive in Dublin on Friday under pressure simply because they are having to attempt to qualify via the back door after, by their standards, an ordinary campaign.

Domenech’s squad is packed with talent that extends far beyond the likes of dangermen Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka and Karim Benzema.

However, Brady insists there will be no fear in the Irish camp.

He said: “We are worried about them all and we are not worried about any of them!

“We respect them. Obviously, Mr Domenech has his choices to make on which players he plays up front.

“He has several really strong front players but we can go on about France all day – it’s about what we do, and our players have a great belief in what we are doing.

“There is an understanding of what game we have to play against the French and that’s what concerns me most of all.

“We stick to that and we concentrate on that.

“There’s a really good team spirit. They know what their jobs are, each and every one of them, and there’s a belief there that, if we stick to our gameplan, we can qualify for the World Cup.”

The Republic boast home victories over France in 1977 and 1981 and Brady, who scored the only goal in the earlier win, would happily settle for the same result this weekend.

He said: “Absolutely, I would take that now. Any advantage at all going to Paris would be very, very welcome.

“The pressure is on them more so than us but we are both playing for a place in the World Cup finals, so it’s enormous.

“But if we were to carry a lead to Paris, the pressure would pile on them.”