The impending invasion of Paris now feels more like a Flight of the Earls, writes Frank McNally
NOT FOR the first time, thousands of Irish people will travel to France this week hoping for a miracle. The bad news is that their destination is Paris rather than Lourdes. After seeing his Republic of Ireland soccer team lose the home leg of their World Cup play-off at the weekend, Giovanni Trapattoni may be tempted to arrange a stopover at the Pyrenean shrine before Wednesday's return game.
The visitors who came to Croke Park on Saturday night were not in a giving mood. But they did at least supply Irish fans with a phrase to describe the moment deep in the second half when our World Cup hopes took an apparently fatal nosedive. Four years ago it was Thierry Henry after 67 minutes. This time it was Nicolas Anelka after 72. Otherwise, as the man said, it was deja vu all over again.
The big difference - that this was only the first leg and there was a whole 90 minutes in Paris still to play - didn't seem to matter. When they finished applauding their brave but outclassed team on Saturday night, Irish fans trooped home with a defeatist air. Suddenly the impending exodus to Paris felt less like a high-spirited invasion by Trap's Army and more like another Flight of the Earls.
In retrospect, the FAI's decision to play The Irish Roverover the Croke Park tannoy at the end of the half-time break seems questionable. It faded out just as the over-loaded and ill-manned ship hit a rock ("Lord what a shock!") and went down with only one survivor. Even if they didn't understand the lyrics, the French seemed to take encouragement.
Lacking conviction in the first half, they now seized control of the game while, sure enough, the Irish vessel shipped water. Wave after wave of Gallic flair lapped around Shay Given's penalty area and he was lucky to escape punishment when, on one of France's forays inside, Patrice Evra went sprawling. The luck couldn't last, unfortunately.
It was, despite the high stakes, a game of no bookings and hardly a bad tackle. The only flashes of red and yellow on the pitch were the boots of William Gallas and Nicolas Anelka, respectively. But Anelka's canary-coloured footwear was especially noticeable, since the ball was almost permanently attached to it, and it seemed to have hypnotised the Irish defence long before his 72nd minute shot deflected in off Sean St Ledger.
Temporarily silenced by the goal, the 70,000 Irish supporters rallied again, supplying their team, as they had done all night, with a raucous 12th man. But 12 men weren't enough against the skilful French, not even when Leon Best, Robbie Keane, and Glen Whelan shared a late chance to equalise.
The home team did a sad lap of honour at the end, paying respects to Croker on their final competitive appearance there. Supporters applauded them warmly (or at least they tried to over the insensitively booming Eircom ads). Then the crowd headed for the exits, with the winter of discontent having taken another turn for the worse.
It wasn't all bad news, however. If not for supporters, the play-offs have already provided a lucrative mid-recession boost for some. Even without the hoped-for miracle, that sound you will hear in the background on Wednesday is the FAI, Aer Lingus, and Ryanair laughing all the way to the banks of the Seine.