Irish victory overshadowed by Keane injury
Republic of Ireland 2 Australia 1
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Your support makes all the difference.Clinton Morrison sealed a spirited Irish comeback at Lansdowne Road last night to send them into next month's crucial European Championship qualifying games in good heart.
Morrison poked the winner past the Australian goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer, 10 minutes from time and stretched Brian Kerr's unbeaten run as the Republic's manager to seven matches.
John O'Shea had headed his first international goal six minutes earlier to ensure the Australians would not add the Irish to their increasingly impressive list of scalps in this entertaining friendly.
But of greater concern to Kerr will have been the sight of Robbie Keane leaving the field on a stretcher in the 45th minute after apparently turning his right ankle while shaping to shoot.
Initial reports suggested Keane had sustained ankle ligament damage but that it was not particularly serious. Kerr needs Keane - who is six short of Niall Quinn's Irish goalscoring record - if the success of his forward line in the first period is anything to go by.
Mark Viduka had given the Australians a 49th-minute lead from close range, with Ireland making little in the way of clear-cut chances.
But Morrison's 57th-minute introduction in place of Gary Doherty breathed new life into Kerr's team and they stormed back to take the spoils and go into the Group 10 games with Russia and Switzerland full of confidence.
Nevertheless the result masked a rather fortunate night for Ireland for whom Keane's aborted first-half effort was their only early chance on target. Marco Bresciano had served notice of the Australian threat in the 14th minute when he rounded off a fine counter-attack with a crashing 25-yard effort which beat debut goalkeeper Nick Colgan only to hit the underside of the crossbar.
Keane's 25th-minute mis-kick summed up the extent of Ireland's early threat but they were far from taking it lightly in front of a 37,200 crowd.
Just after the break O'Shea served notice of his goalscoring intention when he headed a Steve Finnan free-kick narrowly over Schwarzer's crossbar.
Some brilliant play by Stan Lazaridis down the left served up the simplest of chances for Viduka to put the Australians ahead moments later.
Ireland responded through a blocked Mark Kinsella effort in the box, then Damien Duff was agonisingly close with a searing left-foot effort which Schwarzer finger-tipped around his left-hand post.
Kerr's double substitution of Morrison for Doherty and Ian Harte for Gary Breen ultimately saved his unbeaten record, but only after Viduka was denied a second by a fine low save at close range from Colgan.
O'Shea finally got Ireland their equaliser when he jumped highest at the near post to meet Harte's precise right-wing free-kick and head the ball into the roof of the net.
Three minutes later O'Shea turned provider with an identical cross to Harte's but Morrison was not so assured with his head and skied the ball inches over Schwarzer's bar.
Australia deserved a draw but Morrison settled matters as he clipped the ball past Schwarzer from 12 yards and it trickled into the corner of the net despite Tony Vidmar's desperate chase.
Morrison celebrated by racing to the dug-out as the crowd acclaimed his - and his country's - late triumph.
Republic of Ireland (4-4-2): Colgan (Hiberian); Carr (Tottenham), Breen (Sunderland), Cunningham (Birmingham), O'Shea (Manchester United);Holland (Charlton), Kinsella (Aston Villa), Finnan (Liverpool), Duff (Chelsea); Keane (Tottenham), Doherty (Tottenham). Substitutes: Healy (Sunderland) for Holland, 20; Connolly (West Ham) for Keane, 43; O'Brien (Newcastle) for Breen, h-t; Harte (Leeds) for Carr, 57; Morrison (Birmingham) for Doherty, 57; Kilbane (Sunderland) for Finnan, 67; Quinn (Sheffield Wednesday) for Duff, 79; Dunne ( Manchester City) for Cunningham, 84.
Australia (4-4-2): Schwarzer (Middlesbrough); Muscat (Rangers), Neill (Blackburn), Popovic (Crystal Palace), Lazaridis (Birmingham); Emerton (Blackburn), Okon (Leeds), Bresciano (Parma), Tiatto (Manchester City); Viduka (Leeds), Chipperfield (Basle). Substitutes: Grella (Empoli) for Okon, 67; Vidmar (Cardiff) for Tiatto, 69; Aloisi (Osasuna) for Viduka, 78.
Referee: Karel Vidlak (Czech Republic).
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