31 days left and today we look at Matt Holland stepping up to the plate in the World Cup 2002 and hitting a screamer.
Ireland’s match against Cameroon in 2002 was the match that our progression from Group E would pivot on.
The expectation was that everyone would beat Saudi Arabia and either Ireland or Cameroon would come second to the mighty Germans.
Basically we needed a result.
There was some additional bite added to the match when a couple days prior Cameroonian Billong Pensee playing for his club side Hiroshima injured Jason McAteer in a warm-up match.
Oh and Roy Keane had gone home for some reason…
It wasn’t ideal preparation, neither was the fact that Mark Kinsella and Matt Holland were now the first-choice midfield with both of them alternating in the support role to main-man Keane up until that point.
Matt Holland was Mr. Consistency and usually Player of the Year at any club he played for at some point, we needn’t have been so worried.
Cameroon got off to a better start with promising Mallorca striker Samuel Eto’o creating the space and laying the ball off to Patrick Mboma to score from close-range.
Ireland tightened the reigns and the introduction of Steven Reid and the understanding that Kinsella and Holland developed before our eyes throughout the match put the African side on the backfoot.
Then Holland stepped up and scored the equalizer that got people jumping off their couches across the country as he explains here:
The actual goal itself is better than Matt’s description of it, as you can see in the below video:
Today marks 31 days to go until the start of Euro 2012, so stick with us every day as we present another memorable Irish soccer moment.
