David Sneyd

IRELAND’S VERY OWN Night of the Long Knife is sure to be remembered over the next few days.

Wednesday is the 10th anniversary of Shane Long’s stunning goal against then reigning world champions Germany in Dublin.

The date – 8 October 2015 – may not roll off the tongue but the memory of the generational moment continues to provide a welcome wave of joy.

The 1-0 win at Aviva Stadium did not clinch qualification for Euro 2016 but did infuse the country with a searing belief that was ultimately fulfilled by Martin O’Neill guiding the Boys in Green to France.

Another triumph by the same score line over Italy in Lille to reach the last 16 of the tournament added to its significance.

Robbie Brady, the scorer of that header in northern France, would also have been the sole survivor from the starting XI against Germany to be included for the upcoming World Cup double header with Portugal and Armenia had injury not struck him down.

John O’Shea started at centre back and is, of course, current manager Heimir Hallgrímsson’s assistant head coach.

Somehow, they must hope this Ireland team can summon the spirit of a decade ago with a result for the ages when they face Portugal in Lisbon this Saturday.

Ireland have arrived in miracle territory once more.

The players continued to arrive in camp over the course of the weekend and in to this evening, and did so facing into a very different kind of build-up prior to the qualifying campaign kicking off. Anyone who was willing and able was whipped into a giddy frenzy last month.

The nature of the 2-2 draw at home to Hungary and 2-1 defeat against Armenia was a jolt of realism to the senses.

Some might have held a quiet optimism – one so muted as to not dare speak of it aloud for fear of reprisal – about Ireland’s chances before the campaign.

Then came the very loud declarations from those inside the camp about their blossoming maturity, of a steeliness backboned by previous disappointments, and an intention to qualify for the World Cup.

All of a sudden this brought a different, sharper focus on expectations.

“But listen, we have to step up in the games, that’s the key to it,” assistant head coach O’Shea also pointed out before a ball was kicked.

Players and staff spoke about being on the cusp of something special, of realising a dream and feeling primed to make a country proud.

Hallgrímsson declared that he looked at his players differently to when he first took over just a year previously. He felt before that they were weighed down by the jersey, of the expectation and some of the harsh experiences of careers that were still in their infancy.

Now, he said, they looked taller in stature wearing the jersey. The clear, consistent messaging had provided them with a clarity that was needed to grow up on the international stage.

The results – and especially the performance in Yerevan – that followed cut everyone down to size.

If the message in September was about daring to realise a dream, the one now is of searching for some form of redemption, of giving reason to believe in their capabilities and inspiring a reaction with some – any – kind of positive performance against Portugal.

Avoiding a heavy defeat in Lisbon is vital. It was only four years ago that Ireland, managed by Stephen Kenny, suffered late heartache in Faro.

John Egan scored a first-half header in one of their most accomplished displays and, as fate would have it, the defender who turns 33 later this month has been recalled by Hallgrímsson after almost two years away due to a combination of injury and rediscovering form.

Seamus Coleman’s return in place of the injured Matt Doherty also provides vital experience.

Cristiano Ronaldo, of course, remains the game’s great constant. He scored two goals that night to become the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football. His tally then was 111 and he’s since added 30 more to it.

Ireland have scored 51 in total during the same period and the 40-year-old will again be looking to use Ireland as a vehicle for increasing his incredible tally even further.

At the other end of the scale for Hallgrímsson, he has been boosted by Troy Parrott’s return from a knee injury ahead of schedule. The Dubliner had scored 10 goals in seven games before being ruled out of the start of the qualifiers, and his 20-minute cameo off the bench for AZ Alkmaar at the weekend was welcome.

Adam Idah scored a penalty for Swansea City in a 3-1 defeat to Leicester City while Evan Ferguson is nursing an ankle issue which AS Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini says forced him to remain an unused substitute for the weekend’s 2-1 win over Fiorentina.

Remaining resolute in defence against a Portugal team that have scored 30 goals in their last 12 games (in almost a year since September 2024) will be the the primary objective for a side that kept just one clean sheet in 10 competitive games under this manager.

Spain, in September 2022, were the last team to keep Portugal scoreless on home soil so somehow blunting them at the sharp end of the pitch would be a very different – but very welcome – Night of the Long Knife.