Five Greatest Irish Goals

Hairy Homer

Maybe this has been done before.

Pick the five best goals ever scored by a Republic of Ireland national side (in your opinion) and give reasons why they should be so rated.

Here's five to think about.



5 Robbie Keane Ireland 1 Germany 1 Ibaraki World Cup 2002

Proof that route 1 football when played with skill and courage can occasionally be a worthy spectacle. The goal that provided justification for a never-say-die attitude. I still stick on the video to watch it if I need cheering up.

4 Mark Kennedy Ireland 1 Yugoslavia 0 Lansdowne Rd 1999 Euro qualifier

OK he might be a total f***ing waster but what a screamer of a shot. If he could pull his head out of his arse he could be great.


3 Ronnie Whelan Ireland 1 Soviet Union 1 Hannover Euro 88

Spectacular flying volley. Having beaten England a few days earlier, we were wondering could lightning strike twice. For about half an hour (until their scabby equaliser) this goal made us believe that it could.


2 Frank Stapleton Ireland 3 Spain 3 Lansdowne Rd Euro championship qualifier 1982 (1983?)

The equaliser in a game when we had been 3-1 down. Looked great from behind the goal whence I was watching in an alcoholic stupor. Looked even better on TV afterwards.
Mark Lawrenson wide on the left on halfway plays an inch-perfect lofted cross field pass to Kevin O’Callaghan (remember him?) on the right who trapped and beat a defender in one movement, pushed it past another and then hit a curling cross with the outside of his left foot to the far edge of the six yard box. Stapleton then appears from out of the left side of the TV screen to head it down forcefully into the net.

A classic centre-forward goal after a great build up.

1 Ray Houghton Ireland 1 England 0 Stuttgart Euro 88

No contest. Scabby, Keystone Cops defence. A header from Houghton, which was hardly his specialty, but f*** it. It was the one that beat England.

thegills

Steve Staunton frre-kick vs. Malta - it looked like we had blown it when Stan came up with the winner.

Razor in Italia 90 vs' the Italians.

Brady vs. Brazil - pure genius

Gary Mackay...

Hugs-E

Don't forget both Matt Holland's goal away to Portugal and in the World Cup v Cameroon

Waylander

Alan Mc Loughlins goal against Northern Ireland in Winsdor park to Qualify for USA 94.

jonno

Whealen's goal against the Soviet's was something special.

And Houghton's screamer against Italy in USA was a cracker too.

Pompey Magnus

staunton scoring the corner against Northern Ireland, 1993. I have a feeing he didn't mean it but then he did score another against Portugal...who knows????

Sposs

Robbie Keane against Denmark turned and let fly form 25 yards.

kamobe

Sheedy banged in a nice one against England in Italia 90

dougal

Dave O'Learys penalty against Romania in 90 has to be the greatest Irish goal ever!
The best day of my life.
Another great one was McAteers against Holland at Landsdowne - was at Slane watching that on the big screen and there was some buzz!

The best goals were Brady's against Brazil and Whelans against the Russians!

Washout

Ray Houghtons goal against Italy at USA world cup...ill remember that for life.

woodyg

(1)Ronnie Whelans scissors kick folly against the USSR one of the best goal's ever scored in the european championships.

(2)Ray Houghtons against England special place in every one's heart even a song about it "Year of 88 and lovely month of june" go on christy

(3)Razor again this time USA94 sweet sweet revenge over the Italians Left Foot Looping Foley over Pagluiga magical.

(4)Brady's against Brazil showed why he is the best medfielder we ever had.

(5)Robbie Keane's against Ze Germans.No time left punt forward by Kinsella Flick by the Mighty Quinn and out of no wear up pops Keano smack of the right and the ball fly's to net sweet sweet goal .(Only goal they conceid till the final )

DapperGent

I quite liked Big Niall's equaliser against the English at Wembley way back when.

We really battered them that night should have won it.

cournioni

How bout Matt Holland versus Portugal in Lisbon '00. That was a screamer. And the one against Cameroon too. I don't like him much as a player but those were damn good goals.

Space Coyote

How about David Kelly's against the English in that Lansdowne Road "friendly" !!! Was it Kelly ? Can't remeber the goal...wonder why...

...Big Niall's against the Dutch ...Big Packie face-grimaced, gives it a big hoof, Van Breukelen makes a bags of holding onto the ball and Big Niall sticks out his considerably long peg for the equaliser. Class.

...Ronnie's volley - bleedin class
...Ray's header - gwan
...Ray's chip - gwan gwan

Pepe LeFrits

Originally posted by Washout
Ray Houghtons goal against Italy at USA world cup...ill remember that for life.

Agreed.

Darth Henry

Denis Irwin's free kick home to Belgium.

Magic.

joey D

1. Mossy Dunstable, Ireland vs. Persia, 1902, a cracker of a volley from 165 yards (the pitches were bigger then), Ireland eventually won the first and only Intercontinetial Persian-Irish Challenge Tournament

2. Murphy O'Murphy, Ireland vs. Bharain, 1954, O'Murphy picked up the ball on the halfway line (with his hands), stuffed it up his jersey pretending he was pregnant, and ran the ball unchallenged into the Bharainian net. Beautiful.

3. Flannon 'Crowbar' Maguire, Ireland vs. Greenland, 1912, Maguire performed the only sub-aqua scissors kick in a game that was unfortunately abandoned due to the pitch melting (it was on an iceberg)

4. Sebastian Higgins, Ireland vs. Nova Scotia, 1962, this unique game against the Canadian province saw the international debut of Sebastian Higgins who scored a record 8 own goals. He made up for the blunders by converting a penalty for a viscious stabbing which took place just inside theire opponents box.

5. Timmy Dingleberry, Ireland vs. Turkmenistan, 1971, if crap haircuts epitomised 70s international soccer, then Dingleberry was the lord of the haircut. Using his unique midlands mullet he headed in a corner from close range in this one-off match, which was part of an Irish government fact-finding mission to the remote Asian country. ireland won 1 - 0 and Dingleberry was given a hero's welcome in his home town of Hackballscross, Co. Louth.

Sposs

Does anyone fancy getting all these goals into a poll to find the best Irish goal of all time?

I would but im too lazy

johnnynoleg

good one joey D ! laughed my ass off

"He made up for the blunders by converting a penalty for a viscious stabbing which took place just inside theire opponents box."

did that take place in limerick?

therecklessone

1. Joey D, I like your style...

2. Lad and lasses, is there not just a touch of the aul "get one over on the enemy" by mentioning quite so many goals against England...

3. Personal favourites? Ronnie Whelan's...I will never forget it. Houghton in 94, quality. Kennedy against the Yugo's was nice as well. And can I include Steve Carr for Spurs against Man U? An absolute bleedin' screamer.

Pigman II

Originally posted by spandauballet
staunton scoring the corner against Northern Ireland, 1993. I have a feeing he didn't mean it but then he did score another against Portugal...who knows????

I'd reckon he meant them. After all he is down as the being the only footballer EVER to score TWO international goals directly from corners, so he must know something we don't.

Regarding the thread it's unclear whether your are looking for historically significiant goals or just 'great goals'?

If you're going for technically perfect goals then I would elect Matt Hollands goal v Cameroon in the world cup last year, excellent shot.

Stan scored a great goal in 1990 v the Soviet Union from a free kick in a pre-world cup warm up match.

Colin Healy scored a great goal v Finland in a friendly last year.

knobbles

#1 ronnie whelan - you'll never see anything like it again.
McCarthy throws the ball half way across the pitch, Ronnie leaps his body in the air and makes perfect shin to ball contact....BANG!!! top corner, beats the best goalkeeper in the world. Magic

Dustaz

Originally posted by therecklessone

2. Lad and lasses, is there not just a touch of the aul "get one over on the enemy" by mentioning quite so many goals against England...

The word "duh" springs to mind


Without a doubt the Greatest irish goal ever was Big Dave managing to convert a penalty to send ireland into the quarter finals of the world cup and the country into a state it had not seen before or since.

Best goals? My favorites are probably Whelan vs Russia and Brady Vs Brazil.

Tellox

Well I can only remember 3 great goals, seeing as I only got into soccer around the last wc qualifiers..

4) Matt Holland V Cameroon
3) McAteer V Holland
2) Robbie V Germany (Also, it was Finnan who flighted the long ball forward)
1) This one I saw on avi... "The Penalty Of All Time" it was dubbed, showing the winning penalty against romania... atmosphere was absolutly fantastic... makes me wonder about the type of delerium this country would've been tipped into if we had won our penalty shoot out with spain

Hairy Homer

Originally posted by Pigman II
IRegarding the thread it's unclear whether your are looking for historically significiant goals or just 'great goals'?

If you're going for technically perfect goals then I would elect Matt Hollands goal v Cameroon in the world cup last year, excellent shot.

The initial thread just said the 'best' goal scored by the Republic of Ireland which leaves it fairly open to interpretation. Some of the answers reminded me of goals that should really be on everybody's list but were left of mine. Jason McAteer v Holland for example.

If I had to pick my personal favourite it would probably have to be Stapleton's against Spain in 82 or was it 83? Great build up, wonderful header, pulled a match out of the fire that we were well on the way to losing, and it was from Stapleton who was a truly magnificent player. Whatever about his ability as a commentator.

Aren't RTE supposed to be doing a whole series of retrospective programmes on great matches of years gone by? they're currently showing some old GAA games. I believe they're moving on to rugby next. If they ever get around to soccer and show that game look out for it. It also included another screamer of a goal, scored by Ashley Grimes whom people may just remember.

Bateman

R Keane v Germany
Houghton v England
Sheedy v England
Whelan v USSR
Quinn v Holland

Obvious but honest.

woodyg

Tizlox i thimk u need to watch the highlihts of the german game again it was Kinsella whit the long ball forward every boady was makin that mistake an it pissed heim off rightly.

Samba

Ahhh someone spotted it wp Tiz, although he is useless and I hate the bloke, he did score a Cracker on the road to Qualifying for the WC against Holland, g'wan you Jam Macateer.


Another Little Beauty was Reids First Goal, it was a friendly against Denmark at Home (if memory serves me right, was rightly pshed that day)