|
Republic of Ireland 2 (Robbie Keane 13 pen, 32)
Faroe Islands 0
---
It may not have been champagne stuff, but two Keane strikes were enough for the Irish to move deservedly to the top of Group 4, with six games remaining.
The fillip for Brian Kerr's side is that three of those games are at home to the sides currently ranked second, third and fourth in the standings - namely France, Switzerland and Israel.
Kerr pronounced it "a very good start" and it is - unbeaten and unbowed with eight points from a possible 12, but again it will all mean nothing unless it can be kept up in March, when the qualification road begins again for Ireland in Tel Aviv.
24-year-old Keane initially broke Quinn's 21-goal mark as he slotted home a 13th minute penalty, after Damien Duff had been hauled down. And a Roy Keane-initiated counter attack just past the half-hour allowed the Spurs striker a second as he pounced on the breaking ball in the Faroes area.
Still, you have to wonder when this result is going to count - the Swiss managed to put six past Henrik Larsen's minnows last month, and also scored a 5-1 success over the Faroes last year. 4-0 would have been the preferred result in Dublin, and let's face it Keane, Duff and substitute Liam Miller were given enough chances to double Ireland's lead.
Also worrying was the failure of the home side to capitalise on any of their eleven first half corners, which were limply delivered by Andy Reid and Steve Finnan, apart from the head-scratching short ones to Robbie Keane.
The Faroes came and the Faroes defended, as is their wont as 135th-ranked in the world. Big boys they are too, and within the first ten minutes, our nippier forwards Keane, Duff and Reid were reacquainting themselves to the feel of the Lansdowne Road turf.
22-year-old Reid was erratic in the first half, trying too hard to impress a management who have already warmed to his charms and his expanding waistband.
This was a chance for the young winger, in dispute with his club Nottingham Forest, and he did enough, if looking a little too eager and nervous.
|
The man in front of him, Duff carved out Ireland's first chance in the seventh minute, but his snapshot was thwarted by goalkeeper Jakup Mikkelsen.
A mazy 30-metre run by the Chelsea winger six minutes later saw Jon Roin Jacobsen forced to hack down Duff and Keane was afforded the chance to net his 22nd goal (right) - which he took, despite the touch of Mikkelsen's right hand.
With John O'Shea bailing captain Kenny Cunningham, whose untimely slip almost let Jonhard Frederiksberg in, out - Roy Keane, the eventual man-of-the-match, strode clear to set up Ireland's second.
Snuffing out a Faroes midfield move, the Manchester United skipper broke past the visitors' defence line on a quick Duff one-two, and although his squared ball for Robbie Keane found Faroe feet on 32 minutes, the breaking ball was dispatched clinically by Ireland's number 10.
As the half progressed and the Faroes managed to concede incredibly their eleventh corner, Duff smashed a low drive at Mikkelsen and Reid struck over off the outside of his left foot as the promise of more goals geed up an expectant Dublin crowd.
Their Mexican waves of the first 45 minutes turned to sporadic chants in the second, as Ireland perhaps waned on the back of their lung-busting performance in Paris on Saturday.
Duff pulled another chance wide, having been released by Kilbane on 48 minutes. Finnan, goalscorer Keane and Kilbane all had further chances before Miller was introduced for his sixth cap, in place of Manchester United colleague John O'Shea.
On 63 minutes, Keane had his best chance to claim his first ever international hat-trick but his timind effort and heavy first touch enabled Mikklesen to gather.
A neat Duff pull-back with eleven minutes remaining, and Gary Doherty on the field for Reid, saw 23-year-old Miller guilty of poor finishing.
|
But when you consider Kerr - earning his thirteenth win from 23 games in charges - has seen his side score just six goals in four qualifiers, the joint-lowest (with the Ukraine) of all the eight European groups so far, perhaps it's best not to nit-pick and move on to bigger challenges.
This was simply Robbie's night.
---
Ireland: Given, Carr, O'Brien, Cunningham, O'Shea, Finnan, Roy Keane, Kilbane, Duff, Robbie Keane, Reid.
Subs used: Miller for O'Shea (57 mins), Doherty for Reid (76).
Faroe Islands: Mikkelsen, Thorsteinsson, Johannessen, JR Jacobsen, Olsen, Borg, Benjaminsen, Johnsson, R Jacobsen, Frederiksberg, Petersen.
Subs used: Lakjuni for R Jacobsen (58), Flotum for Frederiksberg (83), Danielsen for Borg (84).
Referee: Romans Lajuks (Latvia)
Attendance: 36000
atogb Man-of-the-match: Roy Keane
(*Photos courtesy of PA, Getty Images)