How Troy Parrott factor will influence Ireland v Czech Republic
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Euro 1996 playoff v the Netherlands; December 13th, 1995 (Lost 2-0)
“So endeth the Charlton era,” Gerry Thornley wrote from Liverpool following the Republic of Ireland’s 2-0 defeat to the Netherlands in a European Championships playoff.
After finishing the group stages as the lowest second-placed side, Jack Charlton’s team had to head for Anfield in the hopes of reaching the 1996 tournament.
Edgar Davids gets off a shot despite the attention of Paul McGrath during Ireland's defeat by the Netherlands in a Euro 96 qualification playoff at Anfield. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Allsport
Edgar Davids gets off a shot despite the attention of Paul McGrath during Ireland's defeat by the Netherlands in a Euro 96 qualification playoff at Anfield. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Allsport
Despite the strong Irish support and an atmosphere “so charged you could stretch out and grab it”, a brace from a 19-year-old Patrick Kluivert brought down the curtain on Charlton’s reign.
But in a final note also fitting for many heartbreaks yet to come, Thornley added: “Tis better to have fought and lost than never to have fought at all.” – MD
1998 World Cup playoff v Belgium; October/November 1997 (Lost 3-2 on aggregate)
After another second-place finish in the qualifying group stages, Ireland had to contend with a two-legged playoff against Belgium in order to qualify for a third successive World Cup.
A disappointing 1-1 draw in the first leg at Lansdowne Road meant Mick McCarthy’s team went to Brussels needing to win.
Ray Houghton and Ireland's joy did not last long against Belgium in 1997. Photograph: James Meehan/Inpho
Ray Houghton and Ireland's joy did not last long against Belgium in 1997. Photograph: James Meehan/Inpho
Fitness issues saw Ray Houghton start on the bench, but McCarthy called him into action in the 49th minute. Ten minutes later Ireland had an equaliser to cancel out Luis Oliveira’s opener. But they had no reply when Luc Nilis arrowed a shot past Shay Given on 70 minutes, sending Belgium to France 98 at Ireland’s expense. – MD
Euro 2000 playoff v Turkey; November 1999 (Lost on away goals after 1-1 aggregate result)
A 1-1 draw against Turkey in the first-leg qualifier at Lansdowne Road, in which goalscorer Robbie Keane received a yellow card for dissent, ruling him out of the return fixture, left McCarthy’s side in the familiar territory of needing an away win to qualify.
The game in Bursa offered little entertainment, a scoreless draw (Turkey qualifying by virtue of their away goal), with the real action coming after the final whistle.
Roy Keane being escorted off the pitch after Ireland's draw with Turkey in Bursa in 1999. Photograph: Patrick Bolger/Inpho
Roy Keane being escorted off the pitch after Ireland's draw with Turkey in Bursa in 1999. Photograph: Patrick Bolger/Inpho
Tony Cascarino found himself at the centre of a postmatch melee during which, according to the striker, he was kicked from behind and punched in the face by a fan.
The FAI protested to Uefa over the incident, but there was no changing the result. Turkey were Euros-bound, while it was another summer at home for Ireland. – MD
2002 World Cup playoff v Iran; November 2001 (Won 2-1 on aggregate)
The reward for a brilliant undefeated group campaign, when Mick McCarthy’s crew finished runners-up to Portugal on goal difference and above the Netherlands, was a rather unique two-legged playoff against Iran. The first leg at Lansdowne Road went smoothly enough, Jason McAteer the creator-in-chief, winning the penalty that Ian Harte converted before setting up Robbie Keane for Ireland’s second.
Kevin Kilbane celebrates with Matt Holland and Jason McAteer in Iran after Ireland secure qualification for the 2002 World Cup. Photograph: Andrew Paton/Inpho
Kevin Kilbane celebrates with Matt Holland and Jason McAteer in Iran after Ireland secure qualification for the 2002 World Cup. Photograph: Andrew Paton/Inpho
A crowd of about 100,000 created a lively old atmosphere at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran for the return leg, Iran’s Croatian coach Miroslav Blasevic famously vowing to “hang myself from the crossbar on the pitch” if his side failed to get past Ireland. Fail they did, but mercifully he opted not to carry out his pledge. Yahya Golmohammadi got a last-minute goal for Iran, but Ireland held out. The following May they headed for Saipan to prepare for the tournament in Japan/South Korea. What happened there was, well, the stuff of movies. – MH
2010 World Cup playoff v France; November 2009 (Lost 2-1 on aggregate)
You might remember this one? Next time you moan about VAR, just imagine how the course of our footballing history might have been different if it had been employed at the Stade de France on that November 2009 night.
Sean St Ledger deflected Nicolas Anelka’s shot past Shay Given for the only goal of the first leg in Dublin, so Giovanni Trapattoni’s side were rightly up against it in Paris. But Robbie Keane only went and levelled the tie, ultimately sending it into extra-time, during which William Gallas scored the decisive goal with a handy assist from ... ah here, you know.
Thierry Henry at the scene of France's goal against Ireland in a playoff for the 2010 World Cup. Photograph: Donall Farmer/Inpho
Thierry Henry at the scene of France's goal against Ireland in a playoff for the 2010 World Cup. Photograph: Donall Farmer/Inpho
Sepp Blatter nearly choked from the laughing when John Delaney asked for Ireland to be the 33rd team at the finals in South Africa, but in the end Fifa gave the FAI €5 million in return for a promise to stop whingeing. Which the rest of us haven’t done since. – MH
Euro 2012 playoff v Estonia; November 2011 (Won 5-1 on aggregate)
Ireland have had limited enough success on the playoff front down the years, but that particular route to the 2012 European Championships in Poland and Ukraine proved to be a comfy one. Having finished runners-up to Russia in their group – all hail Richard Dunne’s “thou shalt not pass” performance in Moscow – they drew Estonia in the playoffs, Trapattoni not looking tremendously disappointed with that pairing.
Robbie Keane and Stephen Ward celebrate an Ireland goal against Estonia en route to Euro 2012. Photograph: Cathal Noonan/Inpho
Robbie Keane and Stephen Ward celebrate an Ireland goal against Estonia en route to Euro 2012. Photograph: Cathal Noonan/Inpho
Goals from the current Brentford gaffer (Keith Andrews), the now Stoke City sporting director (Jonathan Walters) and a double from the sitting Ferencvaros head coach (Robbie Keane) all but wrapped things up in Tallinn, Estonia not helping themselves by having two men sent off. The return leg in Dublin was a squib of the dampish kind, ending 1-1.
Ireland had, then, qualified for their first Euros since 1988. How did it go? Played three, lost three, scored one, conceded nine. Not great. – MH
Euro 2016 playoff v Bosnia-Herzegovina; November 2015 (Won 3-1 on aggregate)
Here’s something you don’t see every day – an Ireland win in a playoff. Indeed, you probably didn’t see a whole pile of it this time either, since a heavy fog descended over the first leg in Zenica, obscuring most of the 1-1 draw that was secured through Robbie Brady’s equaliser.
Robbie Brady celebrates lifting Irish gloom with a goal against Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2015. Photograph: Donall Farmer/Inpho
Robbie Brady celebrates lifting Irish gloom with a goal against Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2015. Photograph: Donall Farmer/Inpho
The return leg in Lansdowne was one of the best performances under Martin O’Neill, with a Jonathan Walters double extinguishing the nerves and sending Dublin into raptures. O’Neill and Roy Keane were jubilant on the pitch, Eamon Dunphy was in tears in the studio. The last great night for a decade. – MC
2018 World Cup playoff v Denmark; November, 2017 (Lost 5-1 on aggregate)
The disaster that ultimately left a bitter taste from the O’Neill reign. Ireland went to Copenhagen and ground out a very credible 0-0 draw in the first leg and when Shane Duffy put them 1-0 up in Lansdowne on the return, everything looked dandy. That was as good as it got though.
Shane Duffy and Jeff Hendrick after Ireland's defeat to Denmark in 2017. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
Shane Duffy and Jeff Hendrick after Ireland's defeat to Denmark in 2017. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
Denmark went 2-1 up by half time and then Christian Eriksen had the freedom of the park in the second half, helping himself to a hat-trick. A tactical shambles resulted in a hiding that O’Neill never came back from. – MC
Euro 2020 playoff v Slovakia; October 2020 (Lost 4-2 on penalties after 0-0 draw)
Nothing about this one made sense. Ireland were blessed to be in a playoff at all – they were handed a spot despite finishing bottom of their Nations League group. Covid meant the whole thing was pushed back to October 2020, four months after the tournament was supposed to happen.
Ireland players watching penalties before elimination by Slovakia in 2020. Photograph: Tommy Dickson/Inpho
Ireland players watching penalties before elimination by Slovakia in 2020. Photograph: Tommy Dickson/Inpho
Stephen Kenny had taken over from Mick McCarthy and promptly had the rotten luck to lose Adam Idah and Aaron Connolly because they sat on the wrong seats on the plane to Bratislava, too close to someone who had tested positive for Covid. The test was later shown to be a false positive.
As for the game itself, Ireland weren’t bad at all but missed a couple of glorious chances and ultimately went out on penalties. – MC