World Cup 2002
Ireland went through qualifying unbeaten and finished level with Portugal on 24 points, second on goal difference. Jason McAteer’s goal beat the Netherlands 1–0 in Dublin on 1 September 2001 and kept the Dutch out. A play-off with Iran followed: 2–0 in Dublin, 1–0 to Iran in Tehran.
Before the finals Roy Keane left the squad and was not replaced. In Japan, Matt Holland scored in a 1–1 draw with Cameroon, Robbie Keane equalised against Germany in stoppage time, and a 3–0 win over Saudi Arabia put Ireland second in Group E. Against Spain in Suwon, Keane’s penalty in the 90th minute made it 1–1. Spain won the shoot-out 3–2.
Qualifying Group 2, final table
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 7 | 24 |
| Ireland | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 5 | 24 |
| Netherlands | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 30 | 9 | 20 |
| Estonia | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 26 | 8 |
| Cyprus | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 31 | 8 |
| Andorra | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 36 | 0 |
Three points for a win. Portugal and Ireland were level on points; Portugal had the better goal difference. Second place meant a play-off, and Ireland drew Iran.
Ireland’s qualifying games
| Date | Game |
|---|---|
| 2 Sep 2000 | Netherlands 2–2 IrelandAmsterdam · Ireland: Robbie Keane 21′, Jason McAteer 65′ · Netherlands: Jeffrey Talan 71′, Giovanni van Bronckhorst 84′ |
| 7 Oct 2000 | Portugal 1–1 IrelandLisbon · Ireland: Matt Holland 73′ · Portugal: Sérgio Conceição 57′ |
| 11 Oct 2000 | Ireland 2–0 EstoniaDublin · Ireland: Mark Kinsella 25′, Richard Dunne 51′ |
| 24 Mar 2001 | Cyprus 0–4 IrelandNicosia · Ireland: Roy Keane 32′, Ian Harte 42′ (pen), Gary Kelly 80′, Roy Keane 88′ |
| 28 Mar 2001 | Ireland 3–0 AndorraBarcelona · Ireland: Ian Harte 33′ (pen), Kevin Kilbane 76′, Matt Holland 80′ |
| 25 Apr 2001 | Ireland 3–1 AndorraDublin · Ireland: Kevin Kilbane 34′, Mark Kinsella 36′, Gary Breen 76′ · Andorra: Ildefons Lima 33′ |
| 2 Jun 2001 | Ireland 1–1 PortugalDublin · Ireland: Roy Keane 68′ · Portugal: Luís Figo 79′ |
| 6 Jun 2001 | Estonia 0–2 IrelandTallinn · Ireland: Richard Dunne 8′, Matt Holland 39′ |
| 1 Sep 2001 | Ireland 1–0 NetherlandsDublin · Ireland: Jason McAteer 68′ |
| 6 Oct 2001 | Ireland 4–0 CyprusDublin · Ireland: Ian Harte 3′, Niall Quinn 11′, David Connolly 63′, Roy Keane 67′ |
Play-off
| Date | Game |
|---|---|
| 10 Nov 2001 | Ireland 2–0 IranDublin · Ireland: Ian Harte 45′ (pen), Robbie Keane 50′ |
| 15 Nov 2001 | Iran 1–0 IrelandTehran · Iran: Yahya Golmohammadi 90′ |
Ireland won 2–1 on aggregate.
The finals, Japan and South Korea
| Date | Game |
|---|---|
| 1 Jun 2002 | Ireland 1–1 CameroonNiigata · Ireland: Matt Holland 52′ · Cameroon: Patrick Mboma 39′ |
| 5 Jun 2002 | Ireland 1–1 GermanyKashima · Ireland: Robbie Keane 90+2′ · Germany: Miroslav Klose 19′ |
| 11 Jun 2002 | Ireland 3–0 Saudi ArabiaYokohama · Ireland: Robbie Keane 7′, Gary Breen 61′, Damien Duff 87′ |
| 16 Jun 2002 | Ireland 1–1 Spain (lost on penalties)Suwon · Ireland: Robbie Keane 90′ (pen) · Spain: Fernando Morientes 8′ |
Group E, final table
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 7 |
| Ireland | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| Cameroon | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Saudi Arabia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
Three points for a win. The top two went through.
The squad
| No. | Pos | Player | Club | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Shay Given | Newcastle United | 39 |
| 2 | DF | Steve Finnan | Fulham | 13 |
| 3 | DF | Ian Harte | Leeds United | 40 |
| 4 | DF | Kenny Cunningham | Wimbledon | 38 |
| 5 | DF | Steve Staunton | Aston Villa | 98 |
| 6 | MF | Roy Keane | Manchester United | 58 |
| 7 | MF | Jason McAteer | Sunderland | 47 |
| 8 | MF | Matt Holland | Ipswich Town | 19 |
| 9 | MF | Damien Duff | Blackburn Rovers | 26 |
| 10 | FW | Robbie Keane | Leeds United | 33 |
| 11 | MF | Kevin Kilbane | Sunderland | 31 |
| 12 | MF | Mark Kinsella | Charlton Athletic | 28 |
| 13 | FW | David Connolly | Wimbledon | 33 |
| 14 | DF | Gary Breen | Coventry City | 43 |
| 15 | DF | Richard Dunne | Manchester City | 14 |
| 16 | GK | Dean Kiely | Charlton Athletic | 6 |
| 17 | FW | Niall Quinn | Sunderland | 88 |
| 18 | DF | Gary Kelly | Leeds United | 46 |
| 19 | FW | Clinton Morrison | Crystal Palace | 7 |
| 20 | DF | Andrew O'Brien | Newcastle United | 5 |
| 21 | MF | Steven Reid | Millwall | 5 |
| 22 | MF | Lee Carsley | Everton | 19 |
| 23 | GK | Alan Kelly | Blackburn Rovers | 34 |
Caps as they stood when the tournament began. Manager: Mick McCarthy.