Playoff experience counts

THE Republic of Ireland are the diehards of playoffs for major finals. Should they beat Wales, they could find themselves contesting an eighth playoff in 22 years. Their record is mixed, under Mick McCarthy (left) and Giovanni Trapattoni (right), but they have far more experience of the Russian roulette end-game than anyone else.

EURO 1996

Lost Holland 2-0

WORLD CUP 1998

Lost 3-2 to Belgium on aggregate

EURO 2000

Lost to Turkey away goals after 1-1 draw

WORLD CUP 2002

Beat Iran 2-1 on aggregate

WORLD CUP 2010

Lost to France 2-1 on aggregate, after extratime

EURO 2012

Beat Estonia 5-1 on aggregate

EURO 2016

Beat BosniaHerzegovina 3-1 on aggregate