The Republic of Ireland produced a classy peformance tonight to crush disappointing Denmark 3-0. An early header from Ian Harte was followed up by a Robbie Keane rocket and an injury time strike from Clinton Morrison to give the Irish a scoreline that was an accurate reflection of their total primacy.
If the victors were never in doubt, the recipient of the Man of the Match award was obvious from as early as the second minute. Damien Duff was the wizard on the wing, producing a spellbinding display which left full-back Thomas Rytter constantly spinning in confusion.
It was Duff who teed up the first goal in the ninth minute. After Mark Kinsella had astutely picked out Jason McAteer on the left, the Sunderland man tapped the ball to Duff who dribbled one way, then the other, before driving to the bye-line and clipping a perfect cross into the penalty area. Harte, as he had done on two earlier occasions, powered in a header, and this time it flew into the top corner.
Duff continued to torment the Danish defence, particularly Rykker and centre-back Martin Laursen of AC Milan, and his impudence proved infectious, prompting Robbie Keane and Clinton Morrison to turn on the tricks too. In comparison, the Danes seemed to have feet of lead.
Morrison, indeed, had two first half chances to celebrate his first international start with a goal, but on both occasion goalkeeper Tomas Sorensen made improvised saves, once with his knee from a shot from six yards.
In the Irish goal, Dean Kiely had virtually nothing to do, but when Jesper Gronkjaer exploited Harte's defensive vulnerability with an exquisite pass into the space behind him, Kiely produced a wonderful save from Dennis Rommendahl.
Ireland's second goal brought a rapturous roar from the crowd - Robbie Keane received the ball some 30 yards from goal, looked up, and without taking a step forward pinged a swerving shot into the top corner.
From that moment on, the game was simply an Irish showpiece, each player taking it in turn to indulge his skills: Morrison made clowns out of Laursen and Rene Henriksen when he twisted past them with an outrageous piece of skill on the touchline; substitute Colin Healy went for the subtler approach, flicking and dinking his way past opponents; and Steve Staunton bounced forward at every opportunity, almost becoming the Irish playmaker, and going close with a thumping 35 yarder just after the hour.
Morrison deserved a goal and, in the 91st minute, he delighted himself and the crowd by grabbing one.
Staunton initiated it with another bold dash forward, before Harte knocked the ball into Healy, who dinked it to David Connolly on the edge of the box, and slipped it first time into the path of Morrison who, unmarked, slotted it over the advancing keeper from 15 yards out.
Afterwards, nobody was contradicting when he described the evening's entertainment as a "thoroughly convincing victory."