Republic of Ireland ensured a fourth-place finish in World Cup qualifying Group C courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan at the Aviva Stadium tonight.
Under the caretaker management of Noel King, the hosts fell behind when Dmitriy Shomko's 30-yard rocket flew past David Forde and into the top corner on 12 minutes.
Aleksandr Kislitsyn's needless handball gifted the Republic a penalty four minutes later, which Robbie Keane calmly put away for his 61st international goal.
John O'Shea found the net in a green shirt for the first time in 10 years to put his side ahead, before Shomko scored at the wrong end to secure Ireland a result that ends their run of five winless qualifiers.
Below, Sports Mole analyses whether the result was reflective of the action in Dublin.
Match statistics:
Ireland:
Shots: 16
On target: 6
Possession: 63%
Corners: 9
Fouls: 11
Kazakhstan:
Shots: 9
On target: 2
Possession: 37%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 12
Was the result fair?
Ireland did enough to beat their fairly poor opponents, and in the end a two-goal winning margin was probably reflective of how the game played out. Kazakhstan did give them a brief scare, though.
Ireland's performance:
It was by no means an emphatic victory, but after their early setback, Ireland were generally pretty comfortable, only giving the visitors one or two half-sights of goal. Going forward, they played well in spells, with their best periods in the game coming when Andy Reid got on the ball regularly and helped move possession that little bit quicker. Keane appeared fairly rusty up front, but was as cool as ever from the penalty spot. If anything, the side was lacking a bit of pace, and with Aiden McGeady, James McClean and Shane Long all on the bench, that is something that the new manager may want to address.
Kazakhstan's performance:
They did not lack willingness or a work ethic, but were generally disorganised at the back and absent of any creative threat, apart from Stomko on the left flank. The Kazakhstan goalscorer was the one visiting player to shine, both going forward and in his defensive duties, and may have put himself in the shop window for any English managers watching. While they were fairly comfortable on the ball, several clumsy mistakes in defence meant that they struggled to build pressure and that Ireland were always in with a sniff of a goal.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Andy Reid: Playing in his first international match in six years, the Nottingham Forest midfielder was central to most of Ireland's dangerous attacking play, thriving in the free role that King had granted him. In the centre of the park, he moved the ball quickly and often forward, where his midfield partners were content to go sideways. He also popped up on the left flank, from where his delivery often caused Kazakhstan problems. An excellent return to Ireland duty.
Biggest gaffe:
Just four minutes after Stomko had given Kazakhstan the lead in spectacular style, Aleksandr Kislitsyn gifted Ireland a penalty with an inexplicable handball, sticking out an arm to tip Reid's corner away from the head of Richard Dunne at the back post. Completely needless and ultimately costly.
Referee's performance:
Vadims Direktorenko's presence was barely noticed all evening, and his only real significant involvement was the award of Ireland's penalty, which was so obvious that it could have been given by any of the fans inside the Aviva Stadium.
What next?
Ireland: The appointment of a permanent manager. King's caretaker tenure is now probably over, and if the speculation is to be believed, Martin O'Neill may be his successor.
Kazakhstan: A long break from competitive football before the road to the 2016 European Championships begin. The new 24-team tournament format may give them just the slightest chance of qualification.
No Data Analysis info
Netherlands
Senegal
Ecuador
Qatar
England
USA
Iran
Wales
Argentina
Poland
Mexico
Saudi Arabia
France
Australia
Tunisia
Denmark
Japan
Spain
Germany
Costa Rica
Morocco
Croatia
Belgium
Canada
Brazil
Switzerland
Cameroon
Serbia
Portugal
South Korea
Uruguay
Ghana
