At number 13, we talk about THAT tackle Roy Keane made in 2001 against Holland.
Very rarely do we get one of those moments in football that becomes part of the common lexicon because of the connotations it has.
Roy Keane’s thunderous tackle against Marc Overmars is one of those moments.
Ireland were in a must-win game against the Dutch for qualification for the World Cup in 2002, we were playing the mighty Dutch.
Captain Keane wanted to give a reason why his men shouldn’t fear them, first thing he does in lay down a marker by clattering one of their, quickest, most skilful, talented players straight from kick-off.
“That’s the standard lads,” is what he seemed to be saying.
The entire stadium erupted with chants of “Keano, Keano” – Overmars winced on the ground, Holland knew they were in a game.
What happened afterwards is even more spectacular, Roy Keane went on as he started out, giving one of those masterful, inspiring performances of his and one of the best the green jersey ever saw.
Without the performance that followed, Keane’s tackle would have just been an example of thuggish brutality.
The performance that followed elevates this to one the iconic moments in Irish football.
For the eleven years that have followed whenever someone said they did “A Roy Keane on Overmars” in an Astro-turf match, in a meeting with a spineless boss or any other facet of life, everyone knew what you were talking about.
A great moment.
We’re counting down the days to Ireland’s Euro 2012 opener against Croatia. Join us every day in the build-up to the tournament for another classic Irish soccer memory.
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