Rep of Ireland 1 Wales 0: Total football it most certainly wasn't, but in the increasingly cut-throat world of international football results are all that matter.
On a historical day at GAA headquarters, the Irish players ground out a victory when it was needed most. Steve Staunton fights on for another day but the performance orchestrated by him was far from clinical. Little matter, though. Following recent lows, these three points ensure qualification ambitions, no matter how ambitious they may seem, remain alive.
Three points from Wednesday night's tougher encounter with Slovakia will give Ireland a fighting chance of qualification but that task is now made all the more difficult following Robbie Keane's second half booking. The Ireland captain is suspended for the clash and Staunton will rue the loss of a player particularly influential in this victory.
Bachman Turner Overdrive's You Ain't Seen Nothing Yetblasted out around the stadium on the final whistle. Supporters will leave the ground hoping so. Victory was commendable, but Slovakia beat Wales 5-1 in Cardiff and the home side face an altogether more challenging task in the coming days. For a start, Staunton must address the wide left role where Kevin Kilbane was, for the most part, ineffectual. Stephen Hunt gave a glimpse of his potential when introduced late on and, with Keane unavailable, Staunton must surely turn to him come Wednesday.
Supporters would have hoped that Damien Duff's early endeavour would set the tone for the opening exchanges, but the home side lacked imagination and, more often than not, hit long balls field to no great avail. Owing to Kevin Doyle's omission, the Newcastle winger was deployed up front in something of a free role. Neat touches and turns in the opening minutes promised much but his team-mates behind were not quite reading the script.
Stephen Ireland, perhaps the most creative of the midfield quartet on paper, was deployed in an unfamiliar role wide on the right where his talents could not be utilised from the outset. For club and, to a lesser extent, country, the Manchester City player acts as catalyst, spreading play cleverly and dissecting defences with cutting balls. However, he was isolated for much of the early play, leaving the midfield devoid of imagination.
Lee Carsley and Jonathan Douglas served their purpose in the engine room, but both are grafters. The manner in which they harried and hassled was admirable but creative they are not. And, until Staunton tinkered with his formation as the half wore on, many of Ireland's attacks were chanelled down a left flank where Steve Finnan and Kevin Kilbane were never quite in tune with each other.
With scoring opportunities conspicuous by their absence, the two strikers and wide men swapped positions in conveyor belt fashion. Keane featured prominently when dropping both deep and to the flanks, while Ireland showed his potential when joining Duff in attack. Kilbane, too, surged in confidence when drifting infield but his lack of game time at club level was clearly evident.
Wales, too, offered little going forward in a tedious opening half of few clear-cut chances. Fulham's Simon Davies featured prominently, supplying those around him with clever ball, but both Richard Dunne and Paul McShane were always equal to the task. Craig Bellamy, the Liverpool striker with electric pace, was well contained although having dispossessed Dunne and rapidly turned McShane, it took a brave Shay Given save to keep the scores even.
Keane did snatch at a number of half chances, none of which troubled goalkeeper Danny Coyne. But, as half time drew nearer, Staunton's players certainly upped their productivity with Keane cutting open a napping defence on two occasions with superb through balls. First Duff gauged his run well, nipping between Gareth Bale and James Collins only to be denied by Coyne but Keane's next intervention led to the opener.
Having dropped deep and made space, he left both Collins and Lewis Nyatanga flat-footed, allowing the cunning Ireland gallop into space. Roving between positions at this stage, the 20-year-old accelerated, showing a neat touch before coolly rounding Coyne and slotting home his third goal in four appearances from the tightest of angles. As if by reward, the Corkman saw little of the touchline thereafter but, having nursed an ankle injury all week, Kevin Doyle was sprung to replace him early in the second period.
Worryingly, the home side fell into their sluggish ways after the break and frequently conceded possession to their opponents who, collectively, surged in confidence. Unlike the first half, when cohesion was amiss, John Toshack's men played deep in Irish territory, pinning down and dominating Irish players for prolonged spells. That pressure should have gone rewarded but Bellamy mis-timed Giggs's meancing cross in the box.
Stephen Hunt's introduction with 10 minutes remaining provided the spark Ireland craved from the outset. His willingness to probe twinned with unpredictability spurred on those around him. Protecting such a slender lead in the manner Ireland had been is always tempting fate, but the home side spent the closing minutes powering forward. Doyle, despite mistiming his kick, hit the bar with Coyne beaten while Keane's penalty claim late on fell on deaf ears.
Rep of Ireland: Given; O'Shea, McShane, Dunne, Finnan; Douglas, Ireland, Carsley, Kilbane; Duff, Keane. Subs: Doyle for Ireland (59), Hunt for Douglas (80), McGeady for Keane (90). Booked: Keane (68)
Wales: Coyne, Ricketts, Bale, J Collins, Evans, Nyatanga, Bellamy, Ledley, Robinson, Davies, Giggs. Subs: Fletcher for Ledley (half-time), D Collins for Bale (74), Easter for Robinson (90). Booked: Ricketts (82), Robinson (86).
Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway)
