Republic avoid the banana skin and upset stall-holders

Yet again the Republic of Ireland are upsetting some sumptuously loaded apple carts - or Oranje carts - in European football's smartest street markets. With Croatia and Yugoslavia barring their way to Euro 2000, Mick McCarthy's team shouldered both aside in Dublin, only to have their collar felt in a play-off in Turkey; given equally little chance of progressing in the current through their World Cup qualifying group, they have shocked the stall-holders in the Netherlands and Portugal and then easily avoided an Estonian banana skin with Wednesday night's 2-0 victory.

Yet again the Republic of Ireland are upsetting some sumptuously loaded apple carts - or Oranje carts - in European football's smartest street markets. With Croatia and Yugoslavia barring their way to Euro 2000, Mick McCarthy's team shouldered both aside in Dublin, only to have their collar felt in a play-off in Turkey; given equally little chance of progressing in the current through their World Cup qualifying group, they have shocked the stall-holders in the Netherlands and Portugal and then easily avoided an Estonian banana skin with Wednesday night's 2-0 victory.

The reward is a total of five points from the opening three games, a haul described by McCarthy as "fantastic". A draw between the Netherlands and Portugal would have put the Irish in an even better position but Portugal's victory in Rotterdam, while greatly enhancing their own prospects, has had a correspondingly damaging effect on the Dutch, who have now dropped five points in two home games.

Contrast that with Ireland, who, since McCarthy took over from Jack Charlton four years ago, have not lost a competitive game at Lansdowne Road. "Looking at the crowd, you can feel the great atmosphere around the place, and we're getting the green machine back on the road again," he said. On the road is where his team have to go again after the World Cup's winter break, for an extended trip to the sunshine of Cyprus and Andorra, during which the Dutch and Portuguese will again be trying to take points off each other in Lisbon.

Neither of the beaten Euro 2000 semi-finalists will relish the visit next year to Dublin, where another full house on Wednesday remained undaunted by a power failure that briefly delayed the kick-off or an early flourish that Estonia had neither the will nor the wherewithal to maintain. Once the ever-impressive Mark Kinsella had driven in his first international goal, after 24 minutes, the Irish sliced through a visiting squad composed largely of players from Flora Tallinn like a knife through soft margarine.

Everton's transfer-listed Richard Dunne, becoming quite an all-rounder, finished off a training ground set-piece early in the second-half and Mart Poom, finding no respite from life behind Derby County's colander of a defence, kept the score down thereafter. That caused much frustration to Niall Quinn, who had set up both goals and was being willed by the home crowd to score the one that would finally beat Frank Stapleton's Irish record of 20.

Pulled off at half-time in Portugal on Saturday, when Matt Holland went on to strike a spectacular equaliser, Quinn's consolation was "I did well in everything else. The record is like a thing round my neck right now. I wish Don Givens or someone had scored about 50, then everyone would leave me alone." He will receive the fruit of his labours eventually. Whether the team as a whole do, will not be resolved for some time yet.