Ireland’s Euro 2016 knockout stage opener against host nation France got off to a karmic start as they were awarded a penalty in the opening minutes that Robbie Brady converted to give them an early 1-0 lead. This gave the BBC studio team of Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Rio Ferdinand a chance to rib their colleague — Thierry Henry, the man whose infamous handball for France helped keep Ireland out of the 2010 World Cup.
Tag: Ireland
The joyful terror of Roy Keane at Euro 2016
Ireland have reached the round of 16 at Euro 2016 and it’s safe to say that a constant fear of assistant manager Roy Keane is the primary reason for that. Though Ireland’s success has elicited rare smiles from Keane, the underlying menace that he exudes remains strong.
Belgium very nearly murdered Shane Long
Belgium recovered from a poor performance against Italy to beat Ireland with three goals and Shane Long with everything they could throw at him.
The referee somehow let Belgium abuse the Irish striker throughout the game, so they treated him like an unknowing participant in the Royal Rumble.
Ireland’s tiny kit man dressed up as Superman to celebrate their Euro 2016 place
Ireland upset Bosnia and Herzegovina in their Euro 2016 qualification playoff to reach the finals for the second consecutive time. After winning the second leg 2-0 at home, the Irish celebrated in the dressing room with pint-sized kit man Dick Redmond barreling in dressed as Superman.
“I’m 60 and I’m going to France!” he shouted after getting doused with beer by the players. Brilliant.
Ireland will join England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as representatives of the British Isles at Euro 2016, leaving Scotland to pretend it has something better to do that month.
Damien Duff inspired to donate all his wages to charity by his son’s heart surgery
When former Chelsea winger Damien Duff joined Shamrock Rovers last month, it was reported that he would donate his wages to charity and end his career on an altruistic note. Since David Beckham did the same thing at PSG on a larger scale, Duff’s gesture seems to have received limited attention, but his reasons for doing it have nothing to do with PR or a desire to copy Beckham.
Reporter asks Ireland defender “Would you like to rear end Roy Keane?”
Ireland manager Martin O’Neill and assistant coach Roy Keane were involved in a minor car accident on Tuesday when their vehicle was rear ended in Dublin. No one involved was seriously hurt, so when Ireland defender Alex Pearce was asked about it by reporters the next day, he said the players gave their coaches a bit of ribbing over the incident. It was at this point that one reporter asked the greatest question ever asked: “Would you like to rear end Roy Keane?”
This seemed to be an attempt to reference the players’ potential frustration with the notoriously gruff ex-Man United midfielder, but it came out very different than intended. Pearce had no idea what to say and the other reporters burst out laughing.
Just a spectacular moment all around, but if Roy Keane had been there, he probably would’ve given that reporter a stiff one right in the mouth.