THINGS HAD STARTED positively and the Irish pulled off a superb victory over the USSR but the rattle started with a loss to Norway.
Then there was another loss to Denmark.
“They were one of the best sides in Europe,” former Ireland international Mickey Walsh told me a few years back.
So many teams play from the back nowadays — Denmark were doing that 30 years ago. Morten Olsen was such a cool customer. He played so deep. [Michael] Laudrup, [Preben] Elkjaer — they were fantastic.”
In Copenhagen, Ireland lost 3-0.
But back in Dublin, on 13 November 1985, it seemed like Eoin Hand’s side could get everything back on track, especially when Frank Stapleton put the hosts in front after just six minutes.
But Preben Elkjaer immediately fired home from close-range to equalise and the Danes never looked back.
Elkjaer scored another and John Siveback found the net too with a remarkable individual effort. But it was Michael Laudrup who orchestrated things.
He had put his side in front shortly after the restart, expertly leaving Mark Lawrenson on his backside before caressing the ball to the far corner. He was magnificent and still just 21 years old.
By that stage, he had properly got his chance at Juventus and was considered one of the brightest players in Europe.
Tonight, he was at the Aviva Stadium as Denmark again annihilated an Irish side on their way to a World Cup. And it seemed fitting too.
Because Christian Eriksen’s performance was something special to behold, a calling card similar to the one Laudrup himself left in Ballsbridge 27 years ago yesterday.
Of course, he had a support cast. Just like every playmaker. And with William Kvist and Thomas Delaney steady and unrelenting, Eriksen was able to offer up a devastating display of intelligent counter-attacking elegance and devastating prowess in front of goal.
There was a time when Eriksen was patchy, fond of disappearing not just for games but for prolonged stints.
But he has blossomed into an excellent game-breaker.
Before the first-leg, much was made of Denmark’s over-reliance on him. Perhaps in the past, he was liable to crumble. But there’s far more resilience to Eriksen now than when he hinted at big things at Ajax and when he initially dipped his toe in the Premier League.
Gone is the lightweight, sensitive soul, so easy to dominate. At 25, he’s a powerful force and revelling in his role as Denmark’s destroyer in-chief.
His club form has dovetailed neatly with some incredible displays for his country. He’s now scored nine goals in his last eight games for Denmark and he’s been the difference in a litany of crucial fixtures. He scored the winner against Armenia, against Montenegro and finished with 11 goals overall in qualification. Denmark managed 25 cumulatively.
Tonight, it was also about the unerring accuracy. He’s certainly not a striker but he displayed such cold-blooded ruthlessness in front of goal and in a manner of different ways.
The pass was behind him but he still manoeuvred his body and swept an unstoppable shot beyond Darren Randolph for the opener.
For his second, it was all about the delicate first touch he took, knowing exactly how he wanted to tee himself up for the left-foot curler to the corner that promptly followed.
And the third saw him react so quickly, like the poaching striker sniffing around for half a chance. The ability to catch the shot so cleanly and unerringly with the outside of his boot said much about his confidence and the meticulous control he can boast of. So many others – conscious of Stephen Ward’s pending challenge - would’ve shanked the effort wide.
Eriksen is in his pomp, just like Laudrup was all those years ago.
It was a shame that Ireland were on the receiving end both times, but, as much as it hurts in the moment, there’s something to admire and appreciate when it’s a remarkable talent.
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