Group Six Northern Ireland 2 Wales 3: Recourse to the dictionary is often the reporter's lot after football matches but not usually when the game has included five goals, a missed penalty, umpteen chances and entertaining if mainly crude ebb and flow throughout.

There was plenty of inspiration on the pitch on Saturday but John Toshack's mini-diatribe in a bar in Windsor Park afterwards about the difference between "vulnerability" and "pressure" meant that after two Collins' had appeared in the Wales team, a third was called for.

Toshack has always had a poetic flourish - on Friday he had smiled as he told the truth that "sometimes some of the things you say are not what you're thinking, you know". But on Saturday Toshack was angry even though he had just overseen his first victory as Wales manager, Wales's first competitive win in 14 demoralising attempts. On the final whistle Toshack had to be called back by the Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez for a handshake after Toshack had stormed past him and it became clear that Toshack's annoyance stemmed from more than just a poor refereeing display.

After four games without a goal or a win, criticism of Toshack has grown and so when he used the term vulnerability last week in reference to himself, people assumed he felt under pressure. Not so. Toshack took time to explain that in "40-odd years in the game" he had "never" used the word pressure. "It is not in my vocabulary," he said. "I've been very, very privileged, I've travelled all over the world, free, doing something I'd do for nothing but being paid for it. And every day I walk round the streets, unfortunately, I see a lot of people who are not as fortunate as myself and they are under pressure. So I would never ever use the word pressure.

"We are at a difficult stage of our development. We may have to go one step back to go two forward, and so for those people who wish to criticise us, we are vulnerable at the moment. Now, if people want to turn that round and use the word 'pressure', then that disappoints me."

An Irish back four featuring players from Burnley, Motherwell, Rotherham and Plymouth invited itself to be run at and on 27 minutes Ryan Giggs instigated a four-man move down the Irish right that ended with Simon Davies walloping in a volley.

Ten minutes later Giggs was again slicing the Irish right before providing a cross that Carl Robinson side-footed firmly into the roof of the net.

The Irish were green with embarrassment and when Tony Capaldi pulled Davies three minutes later Wales had a penalty even though the offence was yards outside the box. John Hartson strode up but Maik Taylor confirmed his form with a low block.

Reprieved, within 45 seconds of a breathless second half Keith Gillespie exchanged a one-two with the otherwise quiet David Healy and made it 1-2. It was Gillespie's first international goal for 11 years. Five minutes later it was 2-2, Steve Davis profiting from a long throw to volley in an equaliser.

"Let's all do the Bouncy" has become a Windsor Park favourite and the stadium was rocking now.

But so was Giggs and a sweet free-kick from him gave Wales back their lead and although the Irish applied sustained pressure thereafter Wales did not succumb. Like their manager they understood there is a difference between pressure and being susceptible to it.