ONE THING IS for sure, if Heimir Hallgrímsson masterminds an away win over Austria on Saturday night his players will not celebrate in the same way as the last Republic of Ireland team to do so.
“We were back at the airport later after the game and I remember asking the manager if we could have a few drinks. There was a Burger King still open and they had some bottles of Budweiser,” David Meyler says.
“Some of us had a few beers, other lads were just wrecked and wanted to go asleep.”
For Linz in 2026 see Vienna a decade ago.
Martin O’Neill was at the helm for a World Cup qualification campaign that appeared to be building on the positivity and excitement of a last-16 place at Euro 2016.
Almost 10 years to the day – 12 November 2016 – Ireland withstood an Austrian onslaught to deliver a stunning sucker punch on the counterattack.
David Meyler (left), James McClean (centre) and Seamus Coleman (right) after the win in Vienna a decade ago. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Meyler started the move, winning the ball near the right corner flag in his own half, feeding a pass to Wes Hoolahan who then teed up James McClean.
It’s a goal he has recently looked back on with his son on YouTube, and the flashbacks are immediate.
“The first time I played with Wes I told him ‘you are our magician, every time I get the ball be ready because I am only looking for you’. Wes was special. He could dribble in a phone box. He wouldn’t scream and shout for the ball when you had it but he would if you didn’t give it to him,” Meyler says.
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The midfielder started the game in Vienna as a substitute and replaced the injured Glenn Whelan early in the first half. “It was freezing, we had extra coats over our legs on the bench and then before I knew it I was on. I was sloppy and can remember the shouts from [O'Neill and Roy Keane] the side.”
This was the qualifying campaign in which Seamus Coleman had emerged as a leader under O’Neill. He was made captain, scoring a vital goal at home to Georgia a month before the Vienna triumph.
John O'Shea (left), David Meyler (centre) and James McClean (right) before a World Cup qualifier in Moldova. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Ireland ended 2016 believing the World Cup was within their grasp. “We always felt we could get big results, that we had it in us to go to hard places,” Meyler says.
The new year brought a different perspective.
Coleman suffered that horrific leg break at home to Wales in March. It ended 0-0 and Ireland drew two of their next three – home to Austria and away to Georgia – before losing 1-0 to Serbia at Aviva Stadium.
Automatic qualification was no longer possible, and it meant a winner-takes-all meeting with Wales in the final group game to determine a play-off place.
Meyler was captain, someone trusted by O’Neill. “You knew when he came to your room and spoke about what he wanted from you that it was important. He would keep the messages simple to make sure you knew exactly what was being asked. You’d listen to every word.”
McClean was the talisman – taking an epidural to play before that goal in Vienna – and netted the decisive strike in a 0-1 win in Cardiff. “It was such a high feeling, a great feeling,” Meyler says.
He was a Hull City player at the time and remembers sitting on an exercise bike beside teammate Sebastian Larsson at the club’s training ground when the play-off draw was made.
David Meyler with 'the magician' Wes Hoolahan. Donall Farmer / INPHO
Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO
“Denmark came out and he told me they were a strong team. I knew that, but in my mind we were going to the World Cup.”
Meyler was suspended for the first leg away in Copenhagen, a stalemate that instilled even more confidence Ireland would get the job done in Dublin and reach a first World Cup in 16 years.
“If you don’t believe it will happen how can you expect anyone else to believe it will happen?”
He remembers the days between those two games and how the vibe among the squad was similar to a couple of years previously when Bosnia and Herzegovina were the Euro 2016 play-off opponents.
A knee injury suffered in training meant the Cork native was not available. Robbie Brady scored an away goal in the fog of Zenica and Ireland returned with a 1-1.
Coleman was having a late-night snack at around 11pm the night before the second-leg when he ended up in conversation with O’Neill.
“It just happened, Martin went through so much of the doubts you have as a manager, what goes through your mind, the different possibilities in a game. It was really interesting. I told him the lads were feeling great, feeling confident. It felt very similar to before the Denmark game and then we all know what happened then,” Meyler says.
David Meyler with teammates after losing 5-1 to Denmark in the World Cup play-off. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Duffy scored early and Ireland were on the cusp of history before a collapse that led to a 5-1 defeat.
Denmark scored twice before half-time. Meyler and Harry Arter were substituted at the break with Aiden McGeady and Hoolahan sent on to inspire a comeback.
The visitors ran riot and the sight of Meyler and Larsson’s former Sunderland teammate Nicklas Bendtner scoring a 90th-minute penalty just compounded the misery.
“I’m still scarred by that. We were 90 minutes away from the greatest night of our careers. It is still hard to think about because Ireland are still trying to get to a World Cup.”
The stakes are much lower for this visit to Austria, but the end goal is still the same for an Ireland team that wants to make a mark at the biggest tournaments.
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Budweiser and Burger King: How Ireland celebrated last win over Austria 10 years ago
ONE THING IS for sure, if Heimir Hallgrímsson masterminds an away win over Austria on Saturday night his players will not celebrate in the same way as the last Republic of Ireland team to do so.
“We were back at the airport later after the game and I remember asking the manager if we could have a few drinks. There was a Burger King still open and they had some bottles of Budweiser,” David Meyler says.
“Some of us had a few beers, other lads were just wrecked and wanted to go asleep.”
For Linz in 2026 see Vienna a decade ago.
Martin O’Neill was at the helm for a World Cup qualification campaign that appeared to be building on the positivity and excitement of a last-16 place at Euro 2016.
Almost 10 years to the day – 12 November 2016 – Ireland withstood an Austrian onslaught to deliver a stunning sucker punch on the counterattack.
Meyler started the move, winning the ball near the right corner flag in his own half, feeding a pass to Wes Hoolahan who then teed up James McClean.
It’s a goal he has recently looked back on with his son on YouTube, and the flashbacks are immediate.
“The first time I played with Wes I told him ‘you are our magician, every time I get the ball be ready because I am only looking for you’. Wes was special. He could dribble in a phone box. He wouldn’t scream and shout for the ball when you had it but he would if you didn’t give it to him,” Meyler says.
The midfielder started the game in Vienna as a substitute and replaced the injured Glenn Whelan early in the first half. “It was freezing, we had extra coats over our legs on the bench and then before I knew it I was on. I was sloppy and can remember the shouts from [O'Neill and Roy Keane] the side.”
This was the qualifying campaign in which Seamus Coleman had emerged as a leader under O’Neill. He was made captain, scoring a vital goal at home to Georgia a month before the Vienna triumph.
Ireland ended 2016 believing the World Cup was within their grasp. “We always felt we could get big results, that we had it in us to go to hard places,” Meyler says.
The new year brought a different perspective.
Coleman suffered that horrific leg break at home to Wales in March. It ended 0-0 and Ireland drew two of their next three – home to Austria and away to Georgia – before losing 1-0 to Serbia at Aviva Stadium.
Automatic qualification was no longer possible, and it meant a winner-takes-all meeting with Wales in the final group game to determine a play-off place.
Meyler was captain, someone trusted by O’Neill. “You knew when he came to your room and spoke about what he wanted from you that it was important. He would keep the messages simple to make sure you knew exactly what was being asked. You’d listen to every word.”
McClean was the talisman – taking an epidural to play before that goal in Vienna – and netted the decisive strike in a 0-1 win in Cardiff. “It was such a high feeling, a great feeling,” Meyler says.
He was a Hull City player at the time and remembers sitting on an exercise bike beside teammate Sebastian Larsson at the club’s training ground when the play-off draw was made.
“Denmark came out and he told me they were a strong team. I knew that, but in my mind we were going to the World Cup.”
Meyler was suspended for the first leg away in Copenhagen, a stalemate that instilled even more confidence Ireland would get the job done in Dublin and reach a first World Cup in 16 years.
“If you don’t believe it will happen how can you expect anyone else to believe it will happen?”
He remembers the days between those two games and how the vibe among the squad was similar to a couple of years previously when Bosnia and Herzegovina were the Euro 2016 play-off opponents.
A knee injury suffered in training meant the Cork native was not available. Robbie Brady scored an away goal in the fog of Zenica and Ireland returned with a 1-1.
Coleman was having a late-night snack at around 11pm the night before the second-leg when he ended up in conversation with O’Neill.
“It just happened, Martin went through so much of the doubts you have as a manager, what goes through your mind, the different possibilities in a game. It was really interesting. I told him the lads were feeling great, feeling confident. It felt very similar to before the Denmark game and then we all know what happened then,” Meyler says.
Duffy scored early and Ireland were on the cusp of history before a collapse that led to a 5-1 defeat.
Denmark scored twice before half-time. Meyler and Harry Arter were substituted at the break with Aiden McGeady and Hoolahan sent on to inspire a comeback.
The visitors ran riot and the sight of Meyler and Larsson’s former Sunderland teammate Nicklas Bendtner scoring a 90th-minute penalty just compounded the misery.
“I’m still scarred by that. We were 90 minutes away from the greatest night of our careers. It is still hard to think about because Ireland are still trying to get to a World Cup.”
The stakes are much lower for this visit to Austria, but the end goal is still the same for an Ireland team that wants to make a mark at the biggest tournaments.
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David Meyler FAI Flashback Republic Of Ireland Soccer