Wednesday evening, during the crucial match for World Cup qualification in Germany, the Irish green jerseys and the blue tunics bearing the rooster were on display.
It’s 8:45 p.m. in one of the pubs of Old Nice. Just a few minutes before a highly anticipated match, the establishment is overrun with supporters from both sides of the Channel. Irish flags for some, Zidane jerseys for others; in the small game of teasing, the French have a head start. “We’re not going to let them walk all over us at our home!” shouts an enthusiastic young tricolor. The tension mounts…
After a “Marseillaise” and an “Amhrán na bhFiann” (“The Soldier’s Song,” the Irish anthem) more bellowed proudly than sung by each of the camps, the kickoff is given. Every appearance on screen of Roy Keane, the iconic captain of the Irish team, is met with loud whistles from the crowd. Within the first eight minutes of play, the Greens receive their first yellow card amidst a general uproar. The Irish fans, visibly tense by the event, fix their gaze on the giant screen and grow quieter for a while.
Two free kicks, one by Zidane saved in the nick of time by Given, the Irish goalkeeper, and one by Reid that hit the post of Coupet, have the merit of igniting the atmosphere. The “visitors” stand up and sing in chorus, giving chills to the entire audience. “And yet, we’re only a few dozen here; at Lansdowne Road, there are 40,000 singing like us,” Gary says with a typically British candid smile. Right now, it must be heated in Dublin.
A bit of Eire, that makes Dublin
The halftime arrives shortly after a yellow card for Roy Keane, hotly contested by the Irish. Everyone heads to the counter; it’s time to refuel. In this match within the match, there’s perfect equality. Beer flows freely while the hot plays replay on screen. “You see, Marcel, there was no penalty!”
64th minute of play: Northern Ireland has just scored against England, heading towards a historic victory awaited for 78 years. The news is received with long embraces on the Irish side, by satisfied grins among the French. Two minutes later, Henry scores in a cathedral-like silence at Lansdowne Road. The Blues exult, capsize, the opponents are seething with rage!
The end of the match is nothing but teasing and crowing everywhere. “And where are they… And where are the Irish…” France is not yet in Germany, but it came close to a severe setback, which is enough for the happiness of the supporters. Very sportsmanlike, the Irish congratulate their opponents of the evening and wish them good luck for 2006. The final whistle is blown by the referee. It was intense…