THIS WEEK

5 YEARS AGO

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND suffer their heaviest competitive home defeat as Germany run out 6-1 winners at the Aviva Stadium.

20 YEARS AGO

AFTER a bruising, bloody encounter in Italy, England secure the point they need to qualify for the 1998 World Cup in France.

40 YEARS AGO

NEEDING a glut of goals against Luxembourg to realistically keep their hopes of reaching the 1978 World Cup alive, England can only labour to a 2-0 win.