Ireland v Holland 2001

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Mick McCarthy was appointed manager of Ireland after Charlton narrowly missed out on guiding Ireland to the Euro 96 Finals in England. On an emotional night which would be Charlton’s final game in charge, the Irish succumbed to a two nil defeat at the hands of the Dutch in a playoff. The team was now in transition, an ageing team had to make way for youth, and a long ball game had to make way for the now worldwide pass and move philosophy. It was McCarthy’s job to steady the ship and build on past successes. Unfortunately his immediate impact did not have a desired result. The Irish failed to qualify for the next two Tournaments, the World Cup in France 1998 and the Euros in Belgium and the Netherlands 2000. With some dismal performances in both qualifying campaigns although again narrowly missing out on both tournaments it was a disheartening period in Irish football until qualification for the World Cup in 2002.
In a qualification table including Portugal and Holland the Irish showed the fighting spirit of the previous era. With a mixture of some old stalwarts and youthful exuberance the team were not overawed. They finished the group in second place with the same points as winners Portugal and advanced to the World Cup Finals after a playoff with Iran. The qualification featured probably the greatest game ever played at Lansdowne Road not for flair or a flurry of goals but for drama. This game was against the Dutch, a nerve wracking nail biting match that no one who was there or who just watched in the pubs around the country will ever forget. To set the scene, the Dutch needed to win the game in order to keep their hopes alive, the Irish could not afford to lose. The Dutch team was filled with the superstars of the day, the De Boer brothers, Van Der Sar, Kluivert, Stam, Davids, Van Nistelrooy, and Seedorf. The Irish were underdogs with a capital ‘U’. They had managed a 2-2 draw away from home against the Dutch, a remarkable result but could they really prevent the Dutch from reaching the World Cup Finals?
If the Irish did not believe they didn’t show it spurred on by the best midfielder in the world Roy Keane, he did not let the Dutch breathe never mind pass the ball, undoubtedly his greatest performance in a green jersey. It may have been this over exuberance that caused the only moment of silence at that game, the moment Gary Kelly received a red card. Marc Overmars had been running rings round Kelly in the first half leading the Irish man to be yellow carded, the second half began as the first and thirteen minutes in a reckless tackle on Overmars again, saw Kelly see his second yellow of the game followed by the dreaded red. The Irish fans were disheartened but not silenced, the team were holding on to a nil all draw although the Dutch had missed chance after chance, it seemed only a matter of time. Shay Given was lucky not to concede a penalty when he seemed to bundle over Van Nistelrooy who surely would have been left with a simple tap in.
However a moment came that few are privileged enough to see in a football match. In the 67th minute Ireland for the first time in the half broke forward in numbers, Roy Keane led the charge, was strong on the ball, fouled, the ball breaks to Duff, ref waves play on, he spreads the ball wide to Finnan, he attacks Cocu down the right, forced to check back onto his left, crosses to the far post, and somehow it breaks to an unmarked Jason McAteer who on the half volley slots the ball past an imposing Van Der Sar. What a moment and the Lansdowne roar was never heard so loudly. For 23 and a bit minutes Ireland defended for their lives, eventually seeing out a one nil win. When the final whistle blew the Irish fans broke into a chorus of ‘Ten Men and we beat the Dutch’, few wanted to leave that stadium that day, even the Dutch fans, who played their part in the remarkable atmosphere, applauded as they had witnessed something special.
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