Portugal 1-1 Ireland, 2000
The 21-year-old Dubliner gave a performance that belied his tender years as Ireland secured a vital 1-1 draw away to Portugal in the 2002 World Cup qualifier, partially thanks to Matt Holland’s stunning 72nd minute equaliser. The young centre-back impressively kept the likes of Luis Figo and Rui Costa at bay throughout the game, and it was perhaps no surprise that Man City snapped the player up for £3million only days later.
Ireland 1-0 Holland, 2001
Imagine the scenario: a young Irish defender is starting out in his career. It is a make-or-break World Cup qualifier. The media haven’t given the team a hope. He is only in there as a desperate measure, with more experienced defenders such as Kenny Cunningham unavailable. He is coming up against world-class players including Ruud van Nistelrooy, Marc Overmars and Patrick Kluivert. As if it couldn’t get any more daunting, catastrophe strikes. Gary Kelly is sent off, meaning the team is down 10 men. Many inexperienced defenders would crumble in similar scenarios. But Dunne stood tall, helping to guide Ireland to one of their greatest victories ever in the process.
Bulgaria 1-1 Ireland, 2009
So reliant on defence were Ireland under Trapattoni that there were times where it seemed almost as if Richard Dunne was winning the team games single-handedly, as was the case with Roy Keane for a period under Mick McCarthy. One of the many examples of Dunne’s magnificence was the 2009 match away to Bulgaria. The defender was not only immense at the back, as Ireland significantly boosted their World Cup qualification hopes in Sofia, but he also scored the opening goal with a tremendous, unstoppable header.
France 1-1 Ireland, 2009
Ironically, what was arguably the best performance from Ireland in the entire Trapattoni era also resulted in what was surely their single most agonising result. Dunne, Robbie Keane and Damien Duff all stamped their influence on the game, with the defender commanding at the back, leading the team to an inspired display against a French side that were deemed vastly superior beforehand. Dunne also displayed admirable restraint at the end of the game, as he sat next to Thierry Henry, whose controversial handball created France’s equaliser. And what many deemed most tragic about this aggregate loss was that the most gifted of the ‘Kerr kids’ who had enjoyed such success at youth level — Keane, Dunne and Duff — would be denied the chance to showcase their talents during the World Cup at, or close to, the peak of their respective careers.
Russia 0-0 Ireland, 2011
The magnitude of Dunne’s display in the now famous match with Russia, as he went a long way towards getting Ireland into the 2012 Euros, was epitomised by the comments of another legendary Irish centre-back. After the game, no less than Paul McGrath described it as ”the best I have seen from any Irish centre half”. The performance quickly became iconic to such an extent that his jersey from the game was auctioned off. So even if he couldn’t quite steer Ireland away from disaster at the subsequent European Championships, we’ll always have Moscow.
What was your best memory of Richard Dunne in a green jersey? Let us know in comments section below.
