It was one of those rare moments in sport when blackboard theory fused precisely with skilful execution. The product was exhilarating for the watching throng.

Two of the more obvious assets Brian Kerr possessed when he took the Republic of Ireland into a play-off with Ghana for third place in the World Under-20 championship in Malaysia in July were Thomas Morgan's perceptive passing and Damien Duff's finishing.

Now the Blackburn Rovers youngsters gave expression to those talents with Morgan's angled through ball releasing Duff on a run which ended with a steeply-angled shot into the back of the net.

It gave Ireland back a lead they protected for the remainder of the game. Taken in conjunction with Des Baker's opening score, it ensured that the Irish, for the first time in history, were required to present themselves at the end of a major soccer championship to receive a reward for their endeavours.

Under-age or restricted competition is not normally an area in which one looks for the highlight of a year's sport. Yet, in a very real way, that cameo on an afternoon of broiling heat in Kuala Lumpur's Shah Alam Stadium was a highly significant one.

After the end of the Jack Charlton era, the sun was beginning to rise again for Irish soccer - and the consummate artistry of Morgan and Duff was the living proof.