Down, but not out
A massive effort on the part of the home crowd was not sufficient to save the Republic of Ireland from suffering a crucial defeat to France in the race to World Cup 2006. Ultimately, the home team did not respond to the cries of encouragement from the supporters and are now staring down the depressing barrel of the not-qualifying-for-Germany gun.
A few players stood out; namely Roy Keane, Richard Dunne and Andy Reid. However, Zinedine Kilbane and John O’Shea had a torrid time of it. Both gave the ball away far too much which was especially soul-destroying considering how little of the possession was at Ireland’s disposal. In short, they had ‘mares’.
The French themselves were no great shakes. Their chances to score were few and far between and were content to hold on to the ball.
However, all is not lost. Should Ireland win the next two games against Switzerland and Cyprus, they are guaranteed of a second place berth in the group.
Published by Colm.
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