8 greatest moments in Irish football

Ireland have never been one of the biggest teams in international football, qualifying for just six major tournaments over the years (three World Cups (1990,1994, 2002) and three European Championships (1988, 2012, 2016). However, over the next week, they will face Denmark twice and if they come out on top, they will head to their seventh major tournament, in Russia next summer.

Ireland's best performance at a major tournament came in 1990 when Jack Charlton's side reached the last eight of the World Cup before losing 1-0 to hosts, Italy, so they don't have some of the memorable World Cup moments that other countries do. However, what the Irish do have is a very passionate fan base and when you make your mark or play any small part in a great Irish victory, you are a legend for life.

The nation loves their sporting heroes so when success comes, no matter how small it may seem on a larger scale, the country gets right behind them and they become heroes overnight.

Join Sportskeeda as we take a look at how some of Ireland's football stars earned legendary status.

#8 Ray Houghton (1988)

Houghton celebrating his goal in front of the traveling Irish fans in Stuttgart

Houghton was born in Glasgow but ensured he would never have to buy another pint in Dublin for the rest of his life when he scored the only goal as Ireland beat England in the group stages of the 1988 European Championships.

Ireland were huge underdogs going into the game against the English but Houghton, who was one of the smallest men on the pitch, popped up with a header to win the game. Despite that win, Ireland were unable to make it out of the group stages. A draw with the Soviet Union meant avoiding defeat against the Netherlands would send Ireland through to the semi-finals but they conceded a goal in the 82nd minute to Wim Kieft which meant the Dutch went through in second place.

The Netherlands and the Soviet Union would eventually meet in the final with the Netherlands winning the title.

#7 Pat Bonner (1990)

Bonner gets down low to keep Timofte's penalty out

It was Ireland's first ever knockout game in a major tournament, after three draws with England, Egypt and the Netherlands saw them reach the last 16 of Italia 90. After a goalless 120 minutes against Romania, the game went to penalties.

All eight players had scored when Daniel Timofte stepped up for Romania and Bonner dived low and to his right to deny the Romanian and leave Ireland one kick away from a place in the quarter-finals. Unfortunately for Bonner, he made a bad mistake in the quarter-final against hosts, Italy, which led to Salvatore Schillaci scoring the only goal of the game.

Bonner produced another howler four years later when he allowed a Wim Jonk strike from distance to slip through his hands, but, despite the errors, his penalty save against Romania still lives on in the memory of every Irish football fan.

#6 David O'Leary (1990)

O'Leary sends the goalkeeper the wrong way to put Ireland into the World Cup quarter-finals

Pat Bonner had just made a save in the penalty shootout and Ireland now had a chance to score a penalty to set up a World Cup quarter-final with Italy. At this moment, you'd like to look up and see your top scorer stepping forward but for Ireland, it was David O'Leary, a centre back who had only scored one international goal in his 68 caps.

Even manager, Jack Charlton said he couldn't believe it when he realized O'Leary was taking the most important penalty in Irish football history, but it didn't phase him and he sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to become an instant Irish hero.

Unfortunately for Ireland, they lost 1-0 in the next game, against Italy, but O'Leary will always be remembered as the man who stepped up when his country needed him and was cool enough under pressure to score one of the country's most important goals.

#5 Ray Houghton (1994)

Houghton lets rip with his left foot to score the only goal as Ireland beat Italy in New York

Yes, that man again. Six years on from his winner against the English at the 1988 European Championships, Glasgow born, Houghton, stepped up again to send the Irish fans into raptures when he scored a superb goal to help Ireland beat Italy 1-0 in the group stages of USA 94.

The goal came early in the game and Ireland produced a superb backs-to-the-wall performance to hang on for a famous victory over an Azzurri side who would end up reaching the final before losing to Brazil on penalties.

Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for the Irish in that tournament with a 2-1 defeat to Mexico and a 0-0 draw with Norway seeing them to the last sixteen where they were comfortably beaten 2-0 by the Netherlands in Orlando, Florida.

#4 Jason McAteer (2001)

McAteer wheels off to celebrate his goal with the Lansdowne Road faithful

Ireland were drawn in a difficult qualifying group with Portugal and the Netherlands among their rivals. Ireland were doing well and keeping pace with the big two, managing to draw away to both their rivals, but with only the top team qualifying, second facing a playoff and third being knocked out, they still needed a positive result when the Dutch came to Lansdowne Road, Dublin.

Thankfully for the Irish, they got it as McAteer scored the only goal of the game midway through the second half to knock the Dutch out and ensure Ireland a Playoff spot. They went on to face Iran in the Playoff, winning 2-1 on aggregate over the two games before reaching the last 16 of the tournament proper in Japan and South Korea.

McAteer even starred in a pre-World Cup advertisement for Carlsberg in which he had a dream that he scored the winning goal as Ireland won the World Cup.

#3 Robbie Keane (2002)

Keane leaves Golden Ball winner, Oliver Kahn on the turf after his late equaliser against Germany

Ireland were losing 1-0 in their second group game against Germany when the game went into injury time. Ireland had played well but couldn't get the equaliser and it looked to be a missed opportunity.

However, in the dying minutes, the ball was played long and Niall Quinn headed it into Keane's path and he rifled it past Oliver Kahn from close range to earn Ireland a famous point which meant a two-goal or better win over Saudi Arabia in the final game would be enough for the Irish to progress.

Keane scored again in a 3-0 win over Saudi Arabia and also netted a stoppage-time penalty to take the last 16 tie with Spain into extra time. He also went on to become the Irish record holder for most caps (146) and most goals (68).

#2 Gary Breen (2002)

Breen celebrating the second goal as Ireland beat Saudi Arabia 3-0

Gary Breen has never played football as well in his life as he did for a few weeks in the summer of 2002. In truth, Breen was a decent defender, no more, no less, but in the 2002 World Cup, he played so well that Inter Milan were believed to have an interest in him. In the end, he signed for West Ham United, but it's not very often an Irish player is linked with a move to Serie A.

To this day, Ireland fans still sing his name at games all over the world with the song going "we all dream of a team of Gary Breens" to the tune of Yellow Submarine by The Beatles. His greatest moment was the second goal in a 3-0 win over Saudi Arabia which saw Ireland reach the last 16 where they lost on penalties to Spain.

#1 Robbie Brady (2016)

Brady gets away from Leonardo Bonucci to head home Ireland's late winner

Ireland needed an unlikely win against Italy, who had won their first two games, to reach the last sixteen, but they were struggling to break the Italians down as the game entered the final minutes. Fortunately for Ireland, they never gave up and kept pushing forward, eventually getting the all-important goal through a Brady header with just minutes to spare.

The defence was able to keep the Italians out for the remaining minutes to spark off some jubilant celebrations in the Irish end of the stadium. Brady went on to repeat the trick a few days later when he gave Ireland an early lead from the penalty spot over hosts France but the French came back thanks to two second-half goals from Antoine Griezmann to send the Irish home in the last 16.

---

Can James McClean continue his great form for Ireland against Denmark?

Will a new hero be born this week as Ireland take on the Danes for a spot in the World Cup for the first time since 2002?

It will be a big ask for the Irish, but if anyone is going to do it, perhaps the romantic story would be a James McClean goal winning the tie as the Derry man has been the key player for Martin O'Neill's side that managed to finish second in their group ahead of Wales and Austria.

McClean has scored four goals so far in this campaign with all of them being crucial. He scored two in a 3-1 win away to Moldova and also scored the only goals in 1-0 away wins against Austria and Wales which were ultimately the difference as Ireland nicked the second spot ahead of their rivals.