Kinsella and Dunne shine through

Having returned from the bright lights of Amsterdam and Lisbon with two commendable draws, the Republic of Ireland illuminated a cold Dublin night with a shining performance that will add to the gloom in the Netherlands after last night's 2-0 home defeat by Portugal.

Having returned from the bright lights of Amsterdam and Lisbon with two commendable draws, the Republic of Ireland illuminated a cold Dublin night with a shining performance that will add to the gloom in the Netherlands after last night's 2-0 home defeat by Portugal.

Estonia have improved competition by competition since re-establishing their indepen- dence from the USSR in 1992 and losing all 10 qualifying games for Euro 96. In the two subsequent major tournaments, the Baltic side twice held Scotland to goalless draws and led them 2-1 in Glasgow before succumbing to two late goals. They arrived in Dublin, however, with only single-goal victories to show from two group matches against Andorra and with only the Derby County goalkeeper Mart Poom as a recognisable name.

Poom, earning his 75th cap, was expected to be a busy man, which proved to be the case even before his dream of keeping a clean sheet was ruined in the 24th minute. Ian Harte chipped a pass forward to Niall Quinn, who knocked it down for Mark Kinsella to drive home the goal he has been thinking of for 19 games in the green shirt.

Kinsella had been involved earlier in a flowing move also featuring the defenders Gary Breen and Stephen Carr that ended with Poom falling quickly to his right to beat away Roy Keane's fierce drive. The ball bounced away towards the corner flag and Kevin Kilbane's cross was turned against the bar by Poom before being cleared.

Keane sent another drive wide and Harte put a left-footed free-kick over the bar, but there was a nasty moment for the home crowd just before Kinsella's strike. Richard Dunne and Harte failed to stop the midfielder Sergi Terehhov sending Indrek Zelinski through for a shot that Alan Kelly, coming smartly off his line, saved with his legs.

Quinn, looking for the goal that would break Frank Stapleton's Irish-scoring record, ought to have claimed it shortly before half-time but headed a cross from Jason McAteer carelessly wide.

That proved to be McAteer's last contribution, his Blackburn team-mate Damien Duff replacing him on the right flank for the second-half. The more direct threat from that quarter troubled the visitors, who conceded a second goal within five minutes.

Quinn cleverly flicked on Harte's corner and Dunne, the defender Everton do not want, thumped in a ferocious shot off the chest of Poom, who was fortunate it did not go straight through him.

After a second-half combining equal measures of composure and fluency, the only disappointment was that Quinn was denied his record, clipping the crossbar with a header and seeing the overworked Poom palm down a side-footed shot. The watching Stapleton, now a television pundit, would not have begrudged him his moment of glory.

For half-an-hour before kick-off there were no lights at all because of a power failure. Once the meter was fed, Charlton's Kinsella drove in his first international goal after two years of trying and Everton's Dunne doubled the lead against opponents who rarely threatened.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: (4-4-2): Kelly (Sheffield United); Carr (Tottenham Hotspur), Breen (Coventry City), Dunne (Everton), Harte (Leeds United); McAteer (Blackburn Rovers), Roy Keane (Manchester United), Kinsella (Charlton Athletic), Kilbane (West Bromwich); Quinn (Sunderland), Robbie Keane (Internazionale). Substitutes used: Duff (Blackburn Rovers) for McAteer (h-t); Foley (Watford) for Robbie Keane, 87; Finnan (Fulham) for Kilbane, 87.

ESTONIA (4-4-2): Poom (Derby County); Allas, Stepanov, Saviauk (all Flora Tallin), Lamsalu (Tulevik Viljandi); Viikimae (Valerenga), Anniste (Flora Tallin), Reim (Kotkan), Terehhov (Brann Bergen); Zelinski (Lahti), Oper (Aalborg). Substitutes used: Haavistu (Flora Tallinn) for Viikmae, 68; Ustritski (Viljandi) for Zelinski 68.

Referee: T Hauge (Norway).