Obscure, surprise Ireland goals that you went nuts over!!!

[Grafter]

After Kevin Doyle's winner against the Kazaks last month, I have to admit I made a semi-fool of myself in celebrating. Many expletives, lots of hollering etc... It was so unexpected I suppose and for a moment I parked my cynicism about life in general and just went nuts....

I have to admit though and I know it's obscure (hence the thread title) but one of the biggest kicks I got as an Ireland fan was when Tony Cascarino scored his second goal (the header) in Lithuania in Sept 97! Don't ask me why I picked that goal but there you go....

[TrapAPony]

Robbie Keane v Germany - World Cup in Korea & Japan

[Grafter]

Robbie Keane v Germany - World Cup in Korea & Japan
That's a given! We're talking Steve Staunton versus Malta '99 obscure here :shock:

[Charlie Darwin]

Ray Houghton v Italy has to be up there, as well as Ray Houghton v England. Ray Houghton v Austria never had the same appeal.

[Grafter]

Ray Houghton v Italy has to be up there, as well as Ray Houghton v England. Ray Houghton v Austria never had the same appeal.
But Ray Houghton versus Belgium - now you're talkin'!!!

[SkStu]

What a poxy game that was! (the Malta game I mean!)

I remember taking the Macedonia 3-2 defeat very personally and therefore probably (actually - definitely) overreacting when normal service was resumed with a 1-0 victory a couple years later... Quinn scored.

Conversely, I remember watching the USA94 game vs Italy with a host of friends and extended family and while we were all going mental after Houghtons goal, my cousin was sitting down arms folded. We asked him after why he wasn't celebrating and he said he refused to cos he thought it was a flukey goal... Fair enough you Puritan!

[Grafter]

What a poxy game that was!

I remember taking the Macedonia 3-2 defeat very personally and therefore probably (actually - definitely) overreacting when normal service was resumed with a 1-0 victory a couple years later... Quinn scored.

Conversely, I remember watching the USA94 game vs Italy with a host of friends and extended family and while we were all going mental after Houghtons goal, my cousin was sitting down arms folded. We asked him after why he wasn't celebrating and he said he refused to cos he thought it was a flukey goal... Fair enough you Puritan!
Yeah I remember that '99 game vs Macedonia at Lansdowne, hard fought one but recall Steven Carr in one of his first games having a stormer - didn't put a foot wrong that night - world class for next 18 months IMO

[Charlie Darwin]

What a poxy game that was! (the Malta game I mean!)

I remember taking the Macedonia 3-2 defeat very personally and therefore probably (actually - definitely) overreacting when normal service was resumed with a 1-0 victory a couple years later... Quinn scored.

Conversely, I remember watching the USA94 game vs Italy with a host of friends and extended family and while we were all going mental after Houghtons goal, my cousin was sitting down arms folded. We asked him after why he wasn't celebrating and he said he refused to cos he thought it was a flukey goal... Fair enough you Puritan!
Funnily enough I actually refused to celebrate Houghton's goal against Italy because I was convinced we'd just lose anyway. I was so cynical for such a young lad.

[Colbert Report]

Christ Charlie, you must have been rather unimpressed the first time you had sex.

Kilbane's goal to tie it up against the Czechs, McShane's debut if I remember correctly. Duff set him up with a cross from his right foot I think.

[Charlie Darwin]

Christ Charlie, you must have been rather unimpressed the first time you had sex.
You've been reading my diary.

[peadar1987]

David Connolly's third against Liechtenstein in 1996 or 1997. I remember going beserk because an Irish player had actually scored a hat-trick.

[Supreme feet]

Niall Quinn's equaliser against Denmark, 1993 (probably not that obscure).
Tommy Coyne's winner in the friendly against Holland in Tilburg, 1994.
That Gary Doherty-forced own goal in the last minute against Albania, 2003. Or the Ginger Pele's winner against Georgia in Tbilisi the same year.
Morrison's opener in Tel-Aviv, 2005. I had been very nervous about that game, knew it was make-or-break for the group.
Dunne's header in Sofia, 2009. As above.
Fahey, Yerevan, 2010. Sheer relief.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Robbie Keane v Germany - World Cup in Korea & Japan

This, Houghton in Stuttgart and Jason v.Holland.

More the delirium they induced than their, erm, obscurity...

[AlaskaFox]

Doherty v Georgia. Any Gary Doherty goal really.

[OwlsFan]

Gary Mackay for Scotland vs Bulgaria. Nothing will ever beat that and I mean nothing and I know it's not an Irish goal.

[DannyInvincible]

Really enjoyed this screamer (01:13) from substitute Matt Holland to pull us back to 1-1 in Lisbon against Portugal back in 2000:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6kdB10riLk#t=01m13s

[DannyInvincible]

Robbie's late winner away to Cyprus in 2009 came as quite a relief after the infamous 2006 experience in Nicosia:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8VuJEcDhTM

[Fixer82]

Mark Kennedy V Yugoslavia because I, along with the rest of the country, was screaming for him to be substituted. and then he did that....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTERrBF2gRs

[Grafter]

Mark Kennedy V Yugoslavia because I, along with the rest of the country, was screaming for him to be substituted. and then he did that....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTERrBF2gRs
That Kennedy goal was defo the BIGGEST SURPRISE of my time watching Ireland simply because Kennedy's languid style never had much end product but he nailed it that balmy late summer's evening at Lansdowne!

[Serb]

Funnily enough I actually refused to celebrate Houghton's goal against Italy because I was convinced we'd just lose anyway. I was so cynical for such a young lad.

http://i.imgur.com/KtP4k.jpg

[geysir]

Brady's goal against France in 1977, one of those evenings when there was a rocking atmosphere - then everyone went nuts. There was nothing on when he picked up the ball, he waltzed/stumbled through a herd of defenders racing out to lay the offside trap, then falling over themselves in panic when faced with Brady running straight through them, somehow he retained control and to everyones amazement he found himself in an acre of space one on one with the goalie. He neatly buried the ball into the net, to a wall of sound.

[Stuttgart88]

You want obscure?

I remember fixing my bike listening to Phil Greene commentating on Frank the Plank's last minute back-heeled winner in Malta in the early 80s. I think I did a quick run of joy around the garden.

I too embarrassed myself a bit after Doyle's goal last month.

[geysir]

There's a lot to be said for gammy goals that suspend suicidal thoughts.

[Grafter]

You want obscure?

I remember fixing my bike listening to Phil Greene commentating on Frank the Plank's last minute back-heeled winner in Malta in the early 80s. I think I did a quick run of joy around the garden.
I too embarrassed myself a bit after Doyle's goal last month.
That would have been '83 would it Stutts? Ah sure most of us were running about the garden in the throughs of youth then;)

[Grafter]

There's a lot to be said for gammy goals that suspend suicidal thoughts.

That is eerily and frightenly true geysir!!!

[gustavo]

Robbie Keane v Germany - World Cup in Korea & Japan

I'd love to know how exactly that qualifies as obscure :)

[geysir]

Not obscure but it had the surprise factor.

[Kingdom]

Obscure? The celebrations of Robbie's winner against the Czech's in Feb 2000 (I think). We'd been 2-0 down from early on, pegged them back to 2-2. Babb came on as a sub, and in the last minute of the game, tried an overhead that rattled the crossbar from 10 yards, and we got an incorrect corner. We were still laughing as Robbie got the winner. South Terrace was fun that night.

[the bear]

I didn't know whether to cheer or laugh when this happened, ended up doing something in the middle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LwBUrbIbDY&feature=fvwberel

[French Toasht]

Matt Hollands 85th minute winner in a friendly against Romania in 2004. Was the night Roy Keane made his comeback from international exile and was fitting that the general feeling of euphoria in Landsdowne that night was rewarded with a late winner.

I went mental but in a different way unfortunately when Abbas Suan (The one Arab in the Israel team) scored an injury time equaliser away to Israel in 2005. We sat back and tried to hold on against a very average Israeli side that were there for the taking, had we shown any ambition at all. Infuriating.

[Scooby Doo]

Good thread Grafter. Robbie Keane's penalty :redface: aswell as his subsequent header vs Georgia in 2009. Went bananas with relief.

David Connolly's equaliser vs Turkey (friendly)at Lansdowne under Kerr. Was just such a screamer and was totally unexpected.

Keane v Holland 2004.

Long vs Russia 2010.

Doherty vs Georgia as mentioned above.

[Grafter]

Good thread Grafter. Robbie Keane's penalty :redface: aswell as his subsequent header vs Georgia in 2009. Went bananas with relief.

David Connolly's equaliser vs Turkey (friendly)at Lansdowne under Kerr. Was just such a screamer and was totally unexpected.

Keane v Holland 2004.


Long vs Russia 2010.

Doherty vs Georgia as mentioned above.
I love that David Connolly Turkey goal reference, properly obscurely fantastic :o

[Lionel Ritchie]

Keane v Holland 2004.

This has to be mine. In Kilkenny for the comedy weekend, hadn't had a drink for a few days and the beers went straight to my head. Realised I was a bit stewed when the goal went in and I exploded off my stool in the middle of a busy dinner hour and screamed at (Edwin Vd Zar on) the TV "WAAAAAAAAAAAAH Gwan, Pick it out you F***ing C***!!!". I love the Dutch, I'd nothing against VdZ (he hadn't signed for ManU yet) and it was an end of season friendly??

[fionnsci]

This has to be mine. In Kilkenny for the comedy weekend, hadn't had a drink for a few days and the beers went straight to my head. Realised I was a bit stewed when the goal went in and I exploded off my stool in the middle of a busy dinner hour and screamed at (Edwin Vd Zar on) the TV "WAAAAAAAAAAAAH Gwan, Pick it out you F***ing C***!!!". I love the Dutch, I'd nothing against VdZ (he hadn't signed for ManU yet) and it was an end of season friendly??

Yeah, we had four friendlies in about 11 days. That game, Jamaica and Nigeria in The Valley, and....some game at home.

[Fixer82]

Good thread Grafter. Robbie Keane's penalty :redface: aswell as his subsequent header vs Georgia in 2009. Went bananas with relief.

David Connolly's equaliser vs Turkey (friendly)at Lansdowne under Kerr. Was just such a screamer and was totally unexpected.

Keane v Holland 2004.

Long vs Russia 2010.

Doherty vs Georgia as mentioned above.

That Connolly goal was great.
He had a stormer that night and it led to him getting picked V Switzerland in which he, and the rest of the team, had a bit of a stinker

[davey]

Both Doherty goals in 2004 campaign. Foolishly they made me believe we might qualify after disastrous start. I remember people looking at me strangely in the pub such was the strength of my celebration after Georgia winner. I also celebrated vociferously after Cox's late goal in Liege. It was just after our weirdly comfortable win in Macedonia and I remember feeling that the good times were back.

Always go demented after crucial Ireland goals. With the exception of Doyle winner against the Kazakhs. Not sure why, that whole game felt odd.

[Paddy Garcia]

You want obscure?

I remember fixing my bike listening to Phil Greene commentating on Frank the Plank's last minute back-heeled winner in Malta in the early 80s. I think I did a quick run of joy around the garden.

I too embarrassed myself a bit after Doyle's goal last month.

I remember that goal against Malta - meant we were almost through from what I can remember. Listened to it on the radio (terrible RTE reception) on a Welsh beach!

Obscure - how about Rush dancing through the West Ham defense and scoring a few weeks before we went to America!! Bet few know what I'm on about!

And the West Ham guy next to me muttering that he never does that for us .. drowned out the singing of F the Pope for 5 mins anyway.

[pineapple stu]

Great thread. Some good nominations too.

Going to add Gary Breen (or was it an own goal?) in the home game against Switzerland for myself - McCarthy's last game in charge. Purely cos it's the only time I was in the away end in Lansdowne Road. Makes it extra fun. :)

[Charlie Darwin]

I didn't know you were Swiss, Stu.

[pineapple stu]

There ya go!

Went to the match with a friend who was Irish/Swiss. Game was sold out (remember those days?), but she was able to sort away tickets.

[Charlie Darwin]

It was sold out. I was in a different end of the ground than usual, oddly enough. We should really ask the Swiss for tips on how to qualify for tournaments, they seem to be better than us at it.

[fionnsci]

There ya go!

Went to the match with a friend who was Irish/Swiss. Game was sold out (remember those days?), but she was able to sort away tickets.

Met Gary Kelly's sister before that game, she made a young lad very happy with an autographed photo of the man. Woeful game...

The Doherty-forced OG and Doyle's against the Kazakhs spring immediately to mind. St Ledger's late would-be winner against Italy. Richard Dunne scoring a late equaliser in a home friendly against Turkey, remember that being good craic. Drew 2-2, they subbed their sub keeper because he was woeful but he ended up being the only one not to concede.

[gastric]

Is there such a thing as an obscure Irish goal? Don't think so! This thread is bringing back lots of memories, particularly the ones mentioned by Stutts and Geysir. Does anyone remember a screamer from Tony Grealish against Cyprus at Lansdowne? I think we won 6-0, and as my memory is getting worse, I think he shot from near the halfway line? I hope someone remembers it, that or I am going mad!

[osarusan]

Somebody scored a late goal for Ireland in a game against somebody. It's so obscure that I've forgotten the scorer and opponent, but it made me about 70 pounds (pounds!) as it made my score prediction correct. My reaction was completely out of proportion to the importance of the goal relative to Ireland's group progression.

[Stuttgart88]

Is there such a thing as an obscure Irish goal? Don't think so! This thread is bringing back lots of memories, particularly the ones mentioned by Stutts and Geysir. Does anyone remember a screamer from Tony Grealish against Cyprus at Lansdowne? I think we won 6-0, and as my memory is getting worse, I think he shot from near the halfway line? I hope someone remembers it, that or I am going mad!Yep, I remember it well. An absolute belter. Another Weds afternoon game. I think I was playing rugby for the school but saw the highlights later. Rugby also caused me to miss a 1-1 home draw v England. Latchford & Daly the scorers?

Has anyone mentioned Brady's cool-as-fcuk last minute penalty in the Heysel?

[Spudulika]

Sitting in a road stop cafe with my Dad in 2002, north of Istanbul on the way home. Ireland vs Cameroon, Ireland go a goal down, then Matt Holland wallops one home. Went mental, roared something quite harsh at the tv but aimed at Roy Keane - something along the lines of what he could stuff and where. The owners of the place (who earlier disapproved of my changing and washing in the bathroom - saying it wasn't Sweden - sent over coffee for us). I remember the food was terrible, and then we drove on non-stop with our first proper sleep being in Holland.

Miserable night sitting in a pub in Dungarven, watching Ireland struggle against a motivated Maltese side and everyone slagging off Stan. Everybody calling him finished, a waster etc. I was cheesed off big time as I backed Ireland to win, 50quid at the time, and was sweating, then that goal. Interesting note, certain Irish players had to be rounded up in the early hours of that game day from the fleshpots of Paceville, including certain Spice Boys who were rather the worse for wear.

But for me the most obscure goal was a lifetime earlier, in 1990, leaving at half time and standing outside my old school (or school as it was then) in the shadow of Lansdowne and listening to Ireland-USSR updates. I'd to go to a debate and was meeting the rest of the crew, when suddenly an almighty roar went up and I only later found out it was Stan from a free kick.

But the funniest reaction for an Irish goal and probably the oddest goal celebration I witnessed for Ireland was John Aldridge's shinner against Tunisia, when Pat Scully attempted a sharia type decapitation on a Tunisian. Turned out that a former colleague was there that day on and he got a matchball. When Aldridge scored there was a genuine "Ah sure, isn't that lovely, poor wee boll!x" tone about the place. I think it was 20-odd games without hitting the net and then he gets 2, he just didn't know where to look.

[Stuttgart88]

I got a ball signed by the Irish squad that drew 3-3 at home to Spain. What a game that was.

The thing with Aldo's first goal was that Houghton did all the work and would have scored himself, except knowing all the fuss over Aldo he just set it up for a tap in for him. If only Aldo hadn't missed a penno on his debut.

What school was that? Marist school just behind South Terrace?

[Spudulika]

That's the goal, we were up on the South Terrace and he miskicked it.

No, the Marist School (Marion College) was the reaction by JC McQuaid to my old school - Sandymount HS, which is sadly (for education sake) now a housing development called Cannon Place. Absolutely loved the school and was there for just over half of 5th year and all of 6th year. Some mad teachers, hilarious Principal and great craic. We used to get freebie tickets into Lansdowne and if we didn't we'd nip in through the side gate (near the rugby pitches). It got kind of blase to see the Irish players after a while - we'd be leaving school and they'd be coming in/out of a warm up. Heady days.

[gastric]

A goal I went nuts about too was Stapleton's disallowed goal against Belgium. We had become so conditioned to feeling hard done by that it came in one way as no surprise, and yet it peed me off so much. This was a time when we genuinely felt there was a conspiracy against us by the governing bodies to stop us qualifying for a major tournament. It was openly discussed by Liam, Johnny, Eamonn and Bill. Does anyone else remember these discussions and conspiracy theories?

[Stuttgart88]

Yes, and the ref in question was "outed" as being corrupt later (Anderlecht I think). A SIndo hack caught up with him years later. The "interview" was posted here somewhere.