Republic in the Play-Offs

WORLD CUP 1966 v SPAIN The teams were pitched into battle as a result of Syria’s withdrawal, with Spain victorious courtesy of a 1-0 win in Paris.

EURO 1996 v HOLLAND

Jack Charlton’s hugely successful spell as manager entered its death throes as his team were undone by two Patrick Kluivert strikes at Anfield.

WORLD CUP 1998 v BELGIUM

The Republic got off to an encouraging start when Denis Irwin fired them into an early first-leg lead, but Luc Nilis’ equaliser ensured Belgium returned home with something and there was more to come as Luis Oliveira and Nilis both netted in Brussels to make Ray Houghton’s effort largely irrelevant.

EURO 2000 v TURKEY

Robbie Keane gave the Republic the upper hand, but it was Tayfur Havutcu’s late penalty at Lansdowne Road which proved decisive as the sides played out a scoreless draw in the return leg in Bursa.

WORLD CUP 2002 v IRAN

Goals from Ian Harte and Robbie Keane gave Mick McCarthy’s men something to defend in Tehran and Yahya Golmohammadi’s stoppage-time strike was not enough to deny the visitors.

WORLD CUP 2010 v FRANCE

Giovanni Trapattoni’s men were denied in controversial circumstances when Thierry Henry’s infamous handball teed William Gallas up for the winner after Robbie Keane had levelled the aggregate score in Paris.

EURO 2012 v ESTONIA

The Republic made the most of two red cards to thump Estonia 4-0 in Tallinn before an anti-climatic 1-1 draw at the Aviva Stadium.

EURO 2016 v BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

Martin O’Neill’s men returned from a foggy Zenica disappointed to have seen Edin Dzeko cancel out Robbie Brady’s first-leg opener, but two Jonathan Walters goals saw them through.