Great night for young guns

Finland ... 0 Republic of Ireland ... 3 It was the sort of game the locals in the 12,225 Helsinki crowd will want to forget quickly but for a couple of the Irish players, the memories will linger for a lifetime.

The record books will show that Robbie Keane opened the scoring for the Republic in what was a second easy win over Finland in the space of 12 months.

But the story of the game was written by newcomers Colin Healy and Graham Barrett, players who may not be able to command first-team places at their clubs but who gladly grabbed the opportunity to open their international goal-scoring careers.

Having performed so strongly on each of his three earlier appearances for the Republic, Healy's strike may not have been such a great surprise, although it was impossible not to admire the way in which he pummelled the ball home from the middle of the area.

Barrett, though, came on this trip expecting to play for the under-21s and even after being told on Tuesday that he would be joining up with the senior squad yesterday morning, he had only "a feeling" that his night would amount to anything more than warming the bench and watching his heroes.

In the end, though, the 20-year-old saw close to a quarter of an hour of action on his debut and calmly clipped Ireland's third goal in off the underside of the bar after first Kevin Kilbane and then Healy did well to pressure the Finns. Indeed, Healy's run across the penalty area created the opening for the Arsenal man and it was nice to see how the senior members of the squad welcomed the score.

The young striker could even have had a second before the night was out; Gary Doherty this time creating the danger but Healy again playing a part.

It was a strange end to a generally low-key match which the Finns must have been dismayed to lose so heavily. For much of it, Antti Muurinen's side enjoyed plenty of possession and used it rather well.

Jari Litmanen was possibly the game's most creative player and having forced a fine save from Dean Kiely in the first half, the Liverpool striker (who looks set to leave Anfield, having fallen out of favour with Gerard Houllier) was very close to finding the net on a couple of occasions late on.

When Healy struck with a ferocious drive to make it 2-0 fifteen minutes from time, the game was as good as over for the hosts.

Even then, though, the Irish picked up their game in the time that remained with many of Mick McCarthy's nine replacements anxious to leave their mark on the evening.

Barrett was the most striking while Kilbane looked fresh and full of running from the time he came on.

The Sunderland winger made his entrance at the break for his clubmate Thomas Butler who had made a quiet and slightly disappointing debut on Ireland's left flank.

Nobody doubts the young player's promise and at his present rate of development it seems he will soon be a fixture on the scene but the step up to international football seemed to catch him out last night.

Still he did well early on as the Republic made comfortably the better start to the game, and Butler showed he was not overawed by the occassion with two decent shots on goal, one just failing to dip inside the far right post.

It was Keane, though, who gave the visiting side the lead in the 12th minute, Mark Kinsella incisively lofting the ball over Jari Ilola and into the six-yard box for Damien Duff.

As the Finns appealed for offside, Duff flicked the ball to the Leeds striker who deflected it into an empty net from a couple of yards. It was his 14th goal in 38 internationals.

Briefly it seemed that McCarthy's side would subdue their opponents but instead the workrate of the Finns in midfield hauled them back into the game and Gary Breen and Kenny Cunningham quickly found that they had a tough night's work on their hands.

On the right flank Mika Nurmela was a source of problems, though minor by comparison with those caused by Litmanen's inventiveness between midfield and the edge of the Irish area.

The hosts won a succession of corners, and on a couple of occasions the Republic was lucky not to concede an equaliser, most notably nine minutes into the second period when Toni Kuivasto's downward header bounced back up and over the bar with Kiely looking beaten.

It was far from one-way traffic, though, and there was occasional mayhem about the Finnish box whenever Keane ran at defenders. Breen's close range header prompted a great reaction save from Jussi Jaaskelainen, although it mattered little in the end as Healy's goal ultimately came from the corner that followed.

And so on a night when, Matt Holland argued afterwards, retirements and withdrawals had deprived the squad of no fewer than 10 players (11 if we throw in controversies), there was much to be positive about with Doherty and Rory Delap showing the sort of adaptability that the manager says he craves.

Kiely, in particular, impressed in goal and the defence held steady despite some worrying moments.

McCarthy must also be heartened by the performance of the fringe mdfielders, particularly Carsley, McPhail and Healy, who will surelygive him many options in the future.

The Moscow game will present a sterner test of the team's character than this but Helsinki will be remembered as having provided a welcome post World Cup indication that McCarthy's players share their manager's confidence that there are better days ahead for this team.

FINLAND: Jaaskelainen (Bolton Wanderers); Pasanen (Ajax), Tihinen (Anderlecht), Hyypia (Liverpool), Saarinen (Rosenborg); Nurmela (Heerenveen), Ilola (HJK), Tainio (Auxerre), Kolkka (Panathaikos); Litmanen (Liverpool); Johansson (Charlton Athletic). Subs: Kuivasto (Viking Stavanger) for Hyypia (half-time), Riihilahti (Crystal Palace) for Ilola and Kuqi (Sheffield Wednesday) for Johansson (60 mins), Kolkka (Panathinaikos) for Nurmela (70 mins), Kottila (HJK) for Kolkka (79 mins), Hietanen (Denislispor) for Tainio (81 mins).

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Kiely (Charlton Ahletic); Kelly (Leeds United), Breen (West Ham), Cunningham (Birmingham City), Harte (Leeds United); McAteer (Sunderland), Kinsella (Charlton Athletic), Carsley (Everton), Butler (Sunderland); Duff (Blackburn Rovers), Keane (Leeds United). Subs: Kilbane (Sunderland) for Butler, Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur) for Cunningham, Healy (Celtic) for McAteer, McPhail (Leeds) for Kinsella, Delap (Southampton) for Duff (all half-time), Given (Newcastle United) for Kiely and Barrett (Arsenal) for Harte (77 mins), Goodwin (Stockport County) for Keane (83 mins), Holland (Ipswich Town) for Carsley (87 mins).

Referee: R Pedersen (Norway).