FOR IRISH FANS in Dublin last night it was their hearts and not their heads which had dictated their faith in the boys in green.
But to lose at the hand of Henry was just too much to take.
In bars around the capital the atmosphere grew from early defiance in the face of likely defeat to hope when Keane scored a first half goal to growing expectation as Ireland put up a valiant performance against les Bleus.
In the 3 Crown Bar in Templebar the first half score line had raised the mood and the bar filled as the crowds were drawn by the rising tide of expectation. When Robbie Keane just ran out of space in the 72nd minute the whole bar inhaled simultaneously. When their fellow Irish fans in the Stade de France flashed up on screen they hollered back at them. And still the belief grew.
As the game advanced into extra time the tension in the Living Room bar on Cathal Brugha Street was palpable. They hollered and whistled, screamed and stomped and breaking out into occasional cries of Ole, Ole, Ole.
When the French goal came a small pocket of French supporters were brave enough to celebrate but were soon sorely admonished by the overwhelmingly Irish crowd. Henry appeared on the giant screens to screams, expletives and hand gestures.
As the seconds ticked away the crowd became more desperate. A fan wrapped in an Ireland flag clasped his hands as if in prayer. But it wasn’t meant to be.
As the final whistle blew the mood darkened and the recriminations began, most of them targeted at the French captain.
“It was disgraceful cheating from Henry,” Stuart Bannon from Castleknock fumed. “We should boycott the European Championship because we cant get fair decisions.”
“I’ve lost all respect for him. It is an absolute disgrace,” said Cillian Carroll from Clontarf.
“We were robbed. It shouldn’t even have gone to extra time. We had all the best chances,” Mark McNamee from Clontarf said, although he was more philosophical about the hand ball: “It was deliberate. But if Ireland had had the chance to it we would have taken it.”
Others were less forgiving. “The police should have been called,” Al Donnelly from Leixlip said.