If you know your history: Four previous encounters with the Germans

Germany 0 Republic of Ireland 2 Friendly, May 29th, 1994 (Niedersachen Stadium, Hanover)

On the eve of the World Cup in America, Jack Charlton’s men returned to the stadium where they drew 1-1 with USSR at Euro 88 thanks to Ronnie Whelan’s acrobatic “shiner”. This was a surprise result but irrelevant as goals from Tony Cascarino (a header obviously) and a fairly jammy left-footed strike by a young Gary Kelly settled matters.

Republic of Ireland 1 Germany 1

World Cup, June 5th, 2002

(Kashima Stadium, Ibraki)

Who could ever forget how Niall Quinn and Robbie Keane combined to snatch a draw from the jaws of what seemed a certain defeat that would have ended hopes of qualifying from the group. A superb ball by Michael Ballack saw Miroslav Klose put Germany ahead on 18 minutes but in the 92nd minute the Germans were punished for not scoring a second goal as Quinn’s delicate flick-on saw Keane’s contorted body squeeze the ball past the great Oliver Kahn.

Germany 1 Republic of Ireland 0

Euro 2008 qualifier, September 2nd, 2006

(Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart)

Another return to the city of a famous Euro 88 moment. The 1-0 defeat was considered respectable enough for Steve Staunton’s first competitive game as manager (He was sent-off incidentally by the Spanish referee). Richard Dunne nearly even snatched another equaliser in the 92nd minute but the three points were secured by Lukas Podolski’s shot deflecting off Robbie Keane and past Shay Given. A month later the campaign nose dived in Nicosia.

Republic of Ireland 0 Germany 0

Euro 2008 qualifier, October 13th, 2007

(Croke Park)

The most memorable aspect of this occasion was the ridiculous decision to announce Steve Staunton’s name at half-time as an answer to a quiz question. A large section of a large crowd gave a less than ringing endorsement. The performances against Cyprus (2-5) and San Marino (2-1) had already messed up the campaign that at least produced a new midfield general in Stephen Ireland. Well, not really. From those who played this game only Shane Long and Aiden McGeady are involved tonight.