Irish looking for a one night stand in Paris.

November 17, 2009

In a city renowned for it’s romance and passion, the Republic of Ireland team will be merely looking for a brief fling with Lady Luck in Paris tomorrow night.

Whether it be a passionate 90 minute romp or a sleazy 120 minute affair, all voyeuristic Irish eyes will be on the Stad de France tomorrow night in a make or break encounter that will ultimately provide the biggest prize of all.

There’s no doubting that the Irish will have to give the performance of a lifetime if they are to qualify for next summer’s World Cup Finals and the odds are firmly stacked against them.

Facts do not tell a paint a pretty picture in Irelands’ favour: Never in the official history of play-offs has a team come from a loss in the first leg to go on and win the second and qualify for a major tournament.

The Republic of Ireland have not won in Paris since 1937.

Ireland have not beaten a country ranked in the top 10 international teams since their unlikely win in Dublin against Holland in 2001.

Ireland have not won an away game of such importance since a win over a far superior Scottish team in 1987.

Not pleasant reading no matter how you look at it, but each and every one of them is a cold, hard, fact.

Ireland need to score in Paris tomorrow night…another fact. Failure to do so and it means their World Cup dream is over for another 4 years. And while Giovanni Trapattoni set about getting the all important away goal, he also confirmed that it would almost certainly be the same 11 players that started in the first leg in Dublin who will be charged with carrying the hopes of a nation on their shoulders.

Although this may not meet with public approval, Trapattoni has rarely used the opinion of others when deciding on any of the team matters. Hence the current stand off with players like Stephen Ireland and Andy Reid. Two players, who would more than likely have dramatically increased Ireland’s chances had they been available for the two legged tie.

However, for reasons best not going into, they are not in the squad, and those present must now plan their greatest ever performance for their country.

And as dawn breaks over the French capital on Thursday morning, Irish fans will hope to be reminiscing over coffee and croisants about a tangle in Paris that displayed the passion, flair and emotion that such a setting deserves.

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