Sometimes all you need is a moment, an opportunity, to change the moment from downbeat to jubilation. In the rich history of Irish football, you would find no better example than Wednesday, 5 June 2002.
For more than 70 minutes, Ireland searched for an elusive goal against Germany, who scored in the 19th minute. In the dying seconds, it was Robbie Keane who created a piece of magic and found the net, sending the entire nation (and manager Mick McCarthy) into manic ecstacy.
It was a moment that reflected not just Ireland’s potential, but a realisation that it was a country that was at the height of its confidence, both on and off the pitch.
To understand just how pivotal this moment was, you have to consider what Ireland was like at this time.
The…