The Blizzard: Ireland 1-0 Netherlands, 2001
You join us in the Emerald Isle for today\u2019s episode of Greatest Games, in association with The Blizzard. We\u2019re taking a look at a historic afternoon for Irish football from 2001, alongside JOE\u2019s Dion Fanning!
The Netherlands arrived at Lansdowne Road with qualification for the 2002 World Cup on the line, while Mick McCarthy\u2019s men had enjoyed a hugely successful qualifying campaign. Louis van Gaal had began to drift from his traditional 4-3-3 philosophy by this point, after a tough spell at Barcelona, and as this game slipped through their fingers he even finished the game playing four strikers.
In contrast, Dion remembers how this game was perhaps \u201cthe last time Irish football felt united and moving in the same direction.\u201d The Green Army were still the usual underdogs but, with a fantastic goal from Jason McAteer and a stalwart performance from captain Roy Keane, they secured World Cup qualification in front of 35,000 at Lansdowne Road.
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