It's a remarkable testament to the singularity of purpose and unswerving belief displayed by the Republic of Ireland soccer team and management that today they are en route to Korea after winning a place in the last 16 of the World Cup. A campaign that began with such acrimony has turned into a wonderful journey.Yesterday's 3-0 victory by Mick McCarthy's team over Saudi Arabia may not have offered the most aesthetically pleasing example of the beautiful game but it still galvanised the squad and almost the entire State.
The deep-rooted pride in the exploits of this Republic of Ireland squad has touched off something quite extraordinary in Irish people at home and abroad. This has been manifest throughout the World Cup campaign in the astonishing support that has travelled to Asia, but also in the deserted streets of cities and towns at kick-off times. The emotional investment in the team was rewarded yesterday but not before the nerves of many were tested for the third time in as many games in Japan. Qualifying for the knockout stages in the World Cup is a tremendous achievement rendered all the more laudable by the off-field complications and confrontations.
It's ironic that in one of the finest moments in Irish sporting history, the association that should have been gathering the bouquets, the Football Association of Ireland, inadvertently or not, almost managed to undermine the Irish challenge before it got off the starting blocks. This puts into context just what McCarthy and his squad have achieved from initially negotiating a qualifying group that contained Portugal and the Netherlands through to coping with the varied demands of Germany, Cameroon and Saudi Arabia.
It's worth remembering that yesterday marked the departure of France, current world and European champions from the competition. When compared to the Irish squad, the French are considered to be true aristocrats of world football. But one team is going home, the other proudly decamping to the business end of the World Cup.