It Was One Of Those Nights At Lansdowne Road.
Make no mistake, Ronaldo Mania was real last night. Arriving in Dublin at around 5pm, the Aviva’s surrounding streets were dotted with away fans and many Irish kids wearing Portugal jerseys, Al Nassr shirts or CR7 scarves.
At one crossroads, a busy merchandise seller was handing out hats and badges when I asked him how many Ronaldo scarves he had sold. It was only 5.30pm but he had lost count, saying “I swear to God, I only have four left!”. Jesus.
Slatterys, a pub always bursting with green jerseys on matchdays was even busier than usual last night, as hundreds piled in to catch Armenia Vs Hungary. A striking scene of Irish fans busting out the songbook so early in the evening even caught the attention of the Portuguese TV broadcasters, who, keen to capture the scene, eventually negotiated their way into the bar with the bouncers.
Hilariously, their stay was only two minutes long. Again, this was because of Ronaldo – but in a different way than you might think, instead showing the attitude of a different wing of the Irish support.
In short, the cameramen may well use their footage, but left half-embarrassed, half-smiling knowing their “The Irish boys are on a bender, Cristiano is a [REDACTED]” audio wouldn’t be fit for television.
If they left embarrassed, an hour later saw Irish fans leave the pub deflated. Armenia came inches away from finding a last-gasp equaliser for 1-1 in the early game, meaning an Irish win against Portugal – in all likelihood – was mandatory.
Some commented that the walk towards the stadium felt more like the walk away from the stadium. Everyone, of course, knew what that meant.
Nearly every stroll away from the Aviva Stadium since Euro 2016 has been sobering and borderline depressing. Since fans returned to the stadium post-Covid, it’s been particularly tough going – first with Ireland spluttering during a rebuild and then looking like a team that weren’t about to make the pain of the rebuild at all worthwhile.
The recent displays against Armenia were among the worst in that time, meaning that before kick-off, fans were looking into 2026 with no qualifiers on the horizon, no certainty over who will be manager and certainly no hope of being at the World Cup in America.
No surprise that the three people to my left and the four people to my right decided not to renew their season tickets for the new year. As time’s gone on the idea of “One of those big nights at the Aviva” became just that: an idea.
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The walk away from the Aviva was beyond belief. The incredible Irish support still singing, still shook, beaming in the dark Dublin night.
Ireland shocked everyone by being immense throughout on ‘One Of Those Nights’ that nobody anticipated. To go further – only a moron would have predicted this result based on recent evidence, it was truly unbelievable.
Captain Seamus Coleman, as ever, embodied the display. It’s been said many times but it can’t be said enough: The man is a supreme competitor, a fabulous footballer and the absolute best of us.
He is, at this stage, a master of his right-bottom corner of the pitch. If not winning duels, shutting down superstar wingers or cleverly winning throw-ins in front of the bouncing Irish crowd, he is using all of his energy and intelligence to win pressure relivieng free-kicks to alleviate any mounting pressure.
Chiedozie Ogbene was his right-side partner in Ireland’s last great performance, against France in 2023, but had been written off since. He hadn’t looked like his 2023 best in recent games following a long-term injury, but like Coleman, this guy is another Irish hero, just of a different generation. His impact was vital.
At the back, it’s only right to look at the confidence reverberated by Premier League competitors Caoimhin Kelleher and Nathan Collins courtesy of their assured and talented displays. The two players have enjoyed a terrific start to the season under Keith Andrews at Brentford, and facing multi-million superstars is nothing new to two men who have already defeated Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa this season.
Their presence surely helped defenders Jake O’Brien, Dara O’Shea and Liam Scales all have their best ever performances in green. A mention too for late bloomer Jimmy Dunne who, at 28, surely fulfilled a childhood fantasy when entering the fray for the most marvellous of Irish sporting occasions. Mind, you’d question whether the Irish brain can dream of a two-goal win over Portugal at all.
Conor Coventry had a similar experience, making his debut in midfield in the second half. To his credit, he was every bit as effective and disciplined as the other Irish midfielders on the night – Cullen, Taylor, Azaz were all clued in throughout, in an often scrutinized area of the pitch for the Boys In Green.
The difference maker, however, was Troy Parrott.
Famous Irish wins only come around once a decade but the closest thing in recent years was the 3-0 victory over Scotland in the Nations League. Parrott was at the heart of that attacking masterclass, and looked even better on Thursday night – bringing his fantastic AZ Alkmaar form into the Aviva Stadium by scoring two goals which suggest his game is becoming fully rounded.
First it was a poacher’s finish from a setpiece, then a delightful near-post strike against the grain – both met with an eruption from the battle-hardened Irish faithful
At 2-0 up on the stroke of half-time, you could hardly think things could get better. The Irish players couldn’t have treated us any more at that stage, so the generosity of Cristiano Ronaldo to put the cherry on top came with extra appreciation.
A bad sportsman in all of his recent clashes with Ireland, the 40-year-old-moany-man-child-Piers-Morgan-pal-Saudi-League-goal-getter struck out at Dara O’Shea just like he did in the 2021 edition of this fixture.
Such is the special treatment afforded to him, he was excused by referee Matej Jug on that occasion, but there was to be no such luck last night – justice was served cherry-sweet, man-child-sour.
Between mocking cry gestures and finger-pointing at Heimir, the anti-role-model showed exactly what he is when not knocking in goals or looking important.
What was fantastic was how pathetic he portrayed himself in contrast to the aforementioned heroism of Coleman, Ogbene, Collins and their many determined teammates, starters and substitutes alike.
What they created last night was a memory that will last a lifetime, made with real bravery, real leadership and real dignity.
All considered, the events of the 90 minutes means the attending youth couldn’t have left the stadium last night without finding new heroes.
And even the eldest among us might find getting Parrott posters, jerseys and flags printed a fine – and entirely acceptable – activity for this humble November Friday.
Oh, and whisper it, but a World Cup stickerbook could be tempting too.
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