It was a joyless night when the mud churned, the breath fogged and the sleeves were rolled up. All in vain. The Republic of Ireland came to Belgrade and for a night of patient toil earned the harsh reward of an honourable 1-0 defeat. A frozen moment early in the second half, when the Irish defence stuttered, was the ultimate difference between the sides.
Predrag Mijatovic of Real Madrid swept the ball to the Irish net in the 63rd minute after the Irish failed to clear the danger from a harmless cross.
The troubled fixture, delayed from its originally scheduled date in October, never held much promise for the Irish, but last night's result leaves Mick McCarthy's young team with a lot of work to do.
Despite the defeat, Ireland are still on top of European Qualifying Group Eight, with six points from three games, as they strive to qualify for the finals in 2000.
"I couldn't have asked for much more than that," said Irish manager Mick McCarthy afterwards. "We played well and got beaten, but I think if we play like that for the rest of the qualifying, then we'll make it."
The Yugoslavs, playing their first competitive game since last summer's World Cup adventure, boast three or four of the world's best players. Ireland, by contrast, travelled to Belgrade deprived of a couple of notables through injury and carrying several who have been struggling for form. The Irish defended with manic fervour, but were adept too at killing the tempo of the game when required. Roy Keane, connecting defence with midfield, produced a string of passes to usher the ball away from danger. Young Damien Duff seldom got to perform his speciality jink down the touch-line, but his work in defending was extraordinary.
The late stages were shaped by Ireland's desperate need, as they abandoned caution and drove forward in search of a goal which seldom seemed likely. Ireland's next qualifying game is away to Macedonia in Skopje in March.