Ireland take on Austria this weekend looking to take another massive step towards qualifying for the World Cup in Russia next year.
The last time these two sides met in Dublin, however, the Boys in Green were far less confident of getting a result.
In the middle of the qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup, Giovanni Trapattoni’s side had just come away from Sweden with a 0-0 draw, a respectable result and one that kept them in contention for a playoff place at least.However, all was not
However, all was not well with the national side. With a squad still getting to grips with humiliation at Euro 2012, as well as the 6-1 demolition job carried out by future world champions Germany and a laboured 2-1 win in Kazakhstan, expectations were rapidly sinking ahead of an Austrian side that fancied their chances of getting a result.
What followed was a 2-2 draw that did the home side absolutely no favours, as David Alaba’s late equaliser put a massive dent in Ireland’s hopes of reaching Brazil. The campaign pretty much petered out after that, and Trapattoni was not even to keep his job until the end of the qualification campaign.
But how many of the 23-man Ireland squad from that night can you name?
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On this week’s edition of the Mixer Irish Football podcast, we spoke to former Ireland international Joe Gamble as well as looking ahead to Martin O’Neill’s side’s clash against Austria this weekend.
https://soundcloud.com/punditarenairishfootball/joe-gamble-offers-his-insight-into-breaking-into-the-irish-senior-setup
Read More About: 2018 world cup, Austria, david alaba, giovanni trapattoni, Ireland, martin harnik
