In our latest memorable moment, we recall that day in Amsterdam when we reached the mountain-top. And stayed there for six blissful minutes.
Ultimately this game, a 2002 World Cup qualifier at the Amsterdam ArenA, ended in a 2-2 draw that was heralded by many as a fair old result against a side considered as one of the best in the world at the time.
Roy Keane certainly didn’t think so, storming off at the end after seeing a 2-0 lead evaporate in the final 20 minutes. This was Keane circa the peak of his career of course, and he wasn’t accustomed to allowing winning positions out of his grasp.
Now, 12 years on, many people forget just how good Ireland’s goals were, with Jason McAteer teeing up Robbie Keane for a fine headed opener before the second after half-time, which involved several quick passes and some one-touch flicks around the edge of the Dutch box before McAteer curled the ball past Edwin van der Sar.
His winner at Lansdowne Road was still a year or so away but those few minutes after Trigger hit the net in Amsterdam, with Ireland playing some flowing football and leading 2-0 against a superpower – AWAY FROM HOME! – were among the high points of any Irish soccer supporter’s lifetime.
This was a moment that had it all. That peak represented the crest of the mountain-top from which, no matter which way you turn, the only way is down. We knew it at the time, the most realistic of us, but still, it was a mountain-top, and the view was great.
