Greatest Irish game - biggest high

**OwlsFan** · 16/03/2005, 9:11 AM

There have been a few but what I'm talking about is the sense of euphoria you felt at the end - not the greatest result or greatest performance but the greatest high at the end of the game:

For me it was the 1-0 over Holland at Lansdowne. They had done us so many times before, we were down to 10 men, qualification depended on the result and the crowd were really up for it. It was a truly great day. Still hard to believe it really happened

Probably biggest high ever didn't involve an Irish team. I took the day off work to watch Bulgaria vs Scotland in the small hope that the Scots might do it and we'd qualify for the first time for a major championship. It was unbelievably tense stuff after Scotland scored with the ball cleared off the line, Bulgars hitting the post and Hamilton talking about opening the champagne bottle while the ball was fizzing around the Scottish goal (he almost did my head in).

**ColinR** · 16/03/2005, 9:21 AM

for the biggest 'high' at the end, it would be hard to beat the germany match in ibaraki. last minute goal, around 10,000 irish fans celebrating for around half an hour after the match in the stadium. dutch game was better match and more enjoyable during it, but we were 'relatively' comfortable for the last 5/10 minutes as realistically they needed to score twice to change the inevitable results of the group.

romania, would probably have been even better, but i was only yound and the high of a football match didn't mean so much back then

**PaulB** · 16/03/2005, 9:33 AM

Agree it has to be the Holland game, never seen anything like it when the final whistle went, absolutely brilliant.

**Paulie** · 16/03/2005, 9:34 AM

My top three would be:

Keane V Germany - last minute goal which pretty much prevented us from going out in the 1st round

McAteer V Holland - how we won that game I'll never know. The goal was scored directly in front of me and kinda happened in slow motion as I remember it

Quinn V Denmark - awful performance against the European Champions at the time. I couldn't see where the equaliser was coming from until Quinner flicked in a header

I've only included games I was at but Mcloughlin in 1993 was also pretty special.

**Paulie** · 16/03/2005, 9:42 AM

Another strange one I forgot was Staunton's free kick away to Malta. We were 2-0 up next thing I know it's somehow 2-2 and Malta are the only team in it. Then with about 15 or 20 minutes left (I think) we get a free kick about 30 yards from goal which Staunton puts into the top corner. At that stage of the game it was the only way we could have scored. I was watching it at home and when the goal went in I jumped up and gave the leg of a chair a kick forgetting that I wasn't wearing any shoes. Nearly broke my toe....ah memories.

**Donal81** · 16/03/2005, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by Paulie

Another strange one I forgot was Staunton's free kick away to Malta. We were 2-0 up next thing I know it's somehow 2-2 and Malta are the only team in it. Then with about 15 or 20 minutes left (I think) we get a free kick about 30 yards from goal which Staunton puts into the top corner. At that stage of the game it was the only way we could have scored. I was watching it at home and when the goal went in I jumped up and gave the leg of a chair a kick forgetting that I wasn't wearing any shoes. Nearly broke my toe....ah memories.

When was that game? I don't remember Malta ever scoring against us, I must have erased that one from the memory!

**Paulie** · 16/03/2005, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by Donal81

When was that game? I don't remember Malta ever scoring against us, I must have erased that one from the memory!

It was in the campaign for Euro 2000 (it was the group with Croatia & Yugoslavia) so it would have been played in 1999. Robbie Keane and Gary Breen (I think) put us 2-0 ahead. Then Malta scored to make it 2-1. Shortly after they got a penalty to equalise.....but then up stepped Stan! Just to put things into persperctive as to how bad we were Alan Kelly was man of the match by a mile.

**tetsujin1979** · 16/03/2005, 10:43 AM

Tough call between the Dutch and Germany game.

I was in a sports bar in Limerick for the Holland game, I can still remember watching the ball come out to Finnan on the right, and thinking "hang on, someone's free on the far side of the box...." the rest is history.

For the Germany game I was working in a hotel that was being renovated, the place was gutted, little more than a building site, the manager told us if we got a tv working he'd lay on food and drink (minerals!!) for us, in the 5 weeks I was there, nothing went up so fast as that telly! With us 1 down and injury time just starting, I was staring into my helmet thinking about the work I didn't want to face after losing, looking up, Finnan's hitting a long ball, Quinn, Keane, pandemonium in the room we were in!

**stojkovic** · 16/03/2005, 10:55 AM

1-0 v Holland 2001
You could sense the anticipation before the game then deflation when Jimmy Doyle got sent off and then Jasons goal and watching the Dutch huff and puff with four strikers and no wingers was funny.
1-1 v Germany 2002
Robbie's equaliser because it was late and we was going home.
1-0 v England 1988
When the final whistle eventually went. Some Ingerlund fans even applauded us.
1-0 v Italy 1994
Walking through Little Italy with the blacks and hispanics helping us slag the fcuk out of the linguine eating muthafcukers.
2-2 v Holland 1981
Needed a result in Rotterdam to keep hopes alive. Lawrenson crossed for a Stapleton diving header to equalise.

**Dotsy** · 16/03/2005, 10:57 AM

Raymondo's goal against England at Euro 88. I've never experienced such a euphoria amongst Irish fans since then. I imagine it must have been similar in Giants stadium in 1994.

**Donal81** · 16/03/2005, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by Paulie

It was in the campaign for Euro 2000 (it was the group with Croatia & Yugoslavia) so it would have been played in 1999. Robbie Keane and Gary Breen (I think) put us 2-0 ahead. Then Malta scored to make it 2-1. Shortly after they got a penalty to equalise.....but then up stepped Stan! Just to put things into persperctive as to how bad we were Alan Kelly was man of the match by a mile.

That really is bizarre. Actually, that was my Leaving Cert. year, I remember not being able to make it to a couple of games or even watch them, such was the pressure. F*cking Malta, blimey, glad I missed that!

**Paulie** · 16/03/2005, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by Donal81

That really is bizarre. Actually, that was my Leaving Cert. year, I remember not being able to make it to a couple of games or even watch them, such was the pressure. F*cking Malta, blimey, glad I missed that!

Apart from Staunton's goal you didn't miss a lot. It really was a great free kick. If they had 2 goalies it still wouldn't have been saved.

**Green Tribe** · 16/03/2005, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by stojkovic

1-0 v Holland 2001
1-0 v Italy 1994
Walking through Little Italy with the blacks and hispanics helping us slag the fcuk out of the linguine eating muthafcukers.
.

deadly ha ha, would love to have seen that!

. i first experienced irish football at the age of ten watching that memorable game against Romania, although young, i felt strongly about it and will never forget watching that with my family, so proud that Ireland were doing so well.

Ray houghton's against Italy(94) was a cracker, so fun to watch that goal and to beat the 'invincible' italians!!!

robbie's late goal v germany(02), nearly got me sacked from a summer job in a call centre as i kept going to the break room where the tv was and staying there for long periods of time!!!

the screaming when the goal went in alerted my boss as to where i was

thank God he was understanding, i said, come on, if scotland was in the wc, u all would be at the telly, no work done! he couldn't disagree!!

i really can't decide, maybe romania, because it introduced me to something i love so much.

**blobbyblob** · 16/03/2005, 11:33 AM

No Contest - Ireland v England Euro 88

Changed a nation forever - culminated in the current crop of home grown talent

**fergalr** · 16/03/2005, 12:42 PM

Originally Posted by blobbyblob

No Contest - Ireland v England Euro 88

Changed a nation forever - culminated in the current crop of home grown talent

Agree 100% - all that is good came from that game.

As an aside, best ever game at home has to be the win over the Dutch (2001 not 1980).

**Colm55** · 16/03/2005, 12:49 PM

The Dutch game 2001 for me but also the second playoff game against Iran, I was on tenderhooks the whole game and when the final whistle finally went, it was euphoria all round, it was certain, we were on our way to japan !
We also went straight to the bar and didn't leave till ... well we woke up the next morning not knowing what had happened the day before ... was it true ? ? ... yes it was ! ! ! ! !

**Paulie** · 16/03/2005, 12:51 PM

In terms of home games the matches with Portugal (for Euro '96) and Yugoslavia (for Euro 2000) are up there as well.

**crc** · 16/03/2005, 12:55 PM

The Nethelands (01), England (88), Italy (94) and Germany (02), were good, but the one I pick is the Iran game away in November 2001.

I was in Belgium, and kept having to dart out of meetings to keep an eye on the game (I was quite lucky we were able to get BBC over there). For the whole 90 minutes, I couldn't concentrate on anything except whether we were going through.

This was at a time when we'd lost all the previous playoff games we'd played, so it was never sure that we wouldn't bottle it and throw the whole 2002 World Cup qualification away.

**pineapple stu** · 16/03/2005, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by Donal81

That really is bizarre. Actually, that was my Leaving Cert. year, I remember not being able to make it to a couple of games or even watch them, such was the pressure. F*cking Malta, blimey, glad I missed that!

Missed that myself with College repeats!

Knew I was going to fail (and did) and was half tempted to skip the exam (or at least leave as early as possible) and head out, but didn't in the end. Don't know whether I'm happy or not that I didn't go in the end!

Denmark v. Spain has to be up there as well - the five minutes after the Ireland v. NI game finished... Very tense - Spain down to ten men with a debutante in goal holding on to their lead...Schmeichel up for the corners...everything riding on a match we weren't even playing in...

Funnily enough, I wasn't nervous at all during the Iran game for some reason. Watched it in work, saw how poor Iran were and knew there was no way they were going to win by enough. The first game though...!

**Green Tribe** · 16/03/2005, 1:24 PM

the result of the iran game was a high, but it was a very nervous game for me, i couldn't enjoy it. the away leg was intimidating and you just did not know what was going to happen.