Euro 2000 qualifying group eight: Republic of Ireland 1 FYR Macedonia 0 Solitary strike puts Irish Quinn business for Euro qualification
A GOAL from Niall Quinn after 65 minutes put the Republic in pole position in Group Eight last night and left Mick McCarthy’s side with a very real chance of qualifying for the European finals.
The players now head into the summer recess safe in the knowledge that qualification is still in their own hands.
The home game with joint-group leaders Yugoslavia, whenever it is played, looks like deciding who goes through automatically but dispensing with last night’s well-organised, if limited, opposition keeps Ireland in contention.
Although both of these sides started the game with six points, Macedonia’s tally had been accrued unconvincingly with two wins over Malta.
McCarthy conceded afterwards that his side had played like “a bag of nerves” in a tense final quarter.
It was fitting that the goal, when it came, fell to Quinn courtesy of a flick on.
He was the one who had been the provider, working tirelessly all night holding up play and making the flick-ons for the supporting team of Keane, Kinsella and Breen.
It was Breen, enjoying his best performance in an Irish jersey, who headed Kennedy’s corner towards goal for Quinn to record his 18th international goal.
A job well done considering the distractions of the past few months. Three points in the bag and time to rest before the tougher challenges ahead. Republic of
Ireland: Kelly, Carr, Breen, Cunningham, Irwin, Kennedy, Carsley, Kinsella, Duff, Quinn, Keane
Subs: Kilbane for Duff (62 mins), Cascarino for Keane (67 mins).
Macedonia: Milosevski, Sainovski, Stavrevski, Stojanovski, Hikolovski, Babunski, Trajcon, Micevski, Cirik, Trenevski, Sakiri
Subs: Sedloski for Sainovski, Hristov for Trenevski (78 mins).
Referee: Urs Meier (Switzerland)
Dalglish to accept top Celtic post
KENNY Dalglish is set to be unveiled as Celtic’s first technical director today. It has been reported that the 48-year-old former Parkhead favourite has agreed terms with the Glasgow side, who finished the recent campaign empty handed after winning the Scottish title in 1998.
Dalglish, who has been out of the game since being unceremoniously dumped by Newcastle last August, has been the number one target of chief executive Allan MacDonald since he took over the day-to-day running of the club from owner Fergus McCann earlier this year.
His success as a player with Celtic and Liverpool, plus title-winning stints as manager of Liverpool and Blackburn, make him the ideal man to recapture the glory Celtic fans so desperately seek.