Three goals, three points and Mick McCarthy's still perched impressively at the top of Group Two. Irish teams have had far worse nights at Lansdowne Road. While the result might look adequate in the record books, most of those involved in last night's defeat of the weakest international side ever to play at the stadium will be glad to forget a game that should have yielded so much more.

They certainly won't want to be reminded of the manner in which they fell behind to a team that has never avoided defeat in a competitive international, nor of the way in which in which they almost monopolised possession of the ball in the second half and yet only managed to add once to their 2-1 half-time lead.

That goal, a close range strike by the team's stand-in skipper, Gary Breen, after 77 minutes doesn't even start to reflect the home side's domination of the game's later stages.

The reality, however, was the Irish strikers never managed to score

and David Connolly, after some promising away displays last month, failed miserably to produce the sort of performance that might have impressed McCarthy.

With a little luck, of course, the scoreline might have had a far healthier look about it. Ian Harte struck the angle of the woodwork late on with a free that, nine times out of 10, might have flown into the top corner while Alfonso Sanchez, the goalkeeper who did so much to impress in Barcelona, again made an enormous contribution.

If this World Cup campaign comes down to goal difference, the Irish players may well look back on this game in the knowledge that they should have done much better, particularly in the final third of the pitch where the massed defence was no excuse for the lack of imagination or the repeatedly poor quality of the finishing.

McCarthy had said beforehand that patience would be required against a team that, while packed with amateurs, had become adept at making things difficult for much better internationals teams.

But even the Irish manager must have been sorely tested as the home side, well on top but still looking for their initial breakthrough 32 minutes in, managed to allow the Andorrans to score their first away goal in four World Cup qualifying games.

In the absence of any serious attempt to mark the big defender there was little that Shay Given could have done to prevent Ildefons Lima's perfectly judged header from a Justo Ruiz free finding the back of the net. Breen was the guilty party, allowing the big defender to get first run.

But prior to that there were plenty of candidates for blame with the original failure to clear an Andorran corner adequately eventually leading to the rash challenge by Ian Harte on Juli Sanchez which led to the well-executed set piece.

The Lansdowne Road crowd's reaction to the goal was a mixture of irritation and bewilderment. But they were soon cheering two minutes later when Matt Holland's high ball into the area was neatly helped into Kevin Kilbane's path by Gary Doherty and the winger slipped the ball between the approaching Alfonso Sanchez and his post.

Having kept their heads fairly well early on the Andorrans suddenly looked rattled, all the more so three minutes later when the Irish added a second goal. This time Mark Kennedy was the creative force, beating his man down the righthand side and then floating in a wonderful right-footed cross that was almost turned home by the head of Doherty.

The striker's attempt came crashing back down off the underside of the crossbar, though, and as Sanchez and a couple of his defenders tried to recover, Mark Kinsella arrived just wide of the right hand post to drive the loose ball back into the roof of the net.

At that point another couple before the break really didn't look to be out of the question. There would, presumably, have one at least had David Connolly's penalty appeals not been turned down following what looked to have been a challenge from behind inside the area and Doherty then forced another decent save from Sanchez when he made a good headed contact with Harte's cross.

Like a boxer after taking a heavy blow and is looking to make the bell, the Andorrans clung on and managed to survive the last minutes of the first half.

When they came back for the second half they somehow managed to steady the rocking ship, although their pride had to be repeatedly saved by the continued heroics of Sanchez, despite his mistake for Breen's 77th minute goal.

McCarthy's decision to bring on three full-backs in the closing 25 minutes suggested the margin of victory was good enough for him. In a group where goal difference may well yet prove to be of crucial importance we can only hope that, come October, we're not all talking ruefully about the lost opportunity.

REP OF IRELAND: Given, Gary Kelly, Breen (Staunton 85), Dunne, Harte, Kennedy (Carr 66), Kinsella (Finnan 79), Holland, Kilbane, Connolly, Doherty. Subs Not Used: Foley, Robbie Keane, Farrelly, Alan Kelly. Booked: Kinsella. Goals: Kilbane 34, Kinsella 36, Breen 76.

ANDORRA: Alfonso Sanchez, Escura, Antoni Lima, Delfons Lima, Roberto Jonas, Txema, Emiliano (Francesc Soria 87), Jimenez (Pujol 81), Oscar, Ruiz, Juli Sanchez (Fernandez 90). Subs Not Used: Gil, Ferron, Buxo, Poli. Booked: Txema, Jimenez. Goals: Delfons Lima 32.

Referee: K Jakobsson (Iceland).