Euro ’88
Ireland finished their qualifying group on 14 October 1987, top on 11 points, and could do nothing more. Bulgaria had a game left, at home to Scotland in Sofia, and a draw would have put Bulgaria through on goal difference.
On 11 November 1987 Scotland, who could no longer qualify, won 1–0. Gary Mackay, a substitute, scored four minutes from time. Seven months later, in Ireland’s first game at a major finals, Ray Houghton scored after six minutes to beat England. Jack Charlton was the manager.
Qualifying Group 7, final table
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 11 |
| Bulgaria | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 10 |
| Belgium | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 8 | 9 |
| Scotland | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 9 |
| Luxembourg | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 23 | 1 |
Two points for a win. Before the Sofia game, Ireland had 11 points from 8 games and a goal difference of +5. Bulgaria had 10 points from 7 and +7.
Every game in the group
| Date | Game |
|---|---|
| 10 Sep 1986 | Belgium 2–2 Ireland |
| 10 Sep 1986 | Scotland 0–0 BulgariaNot an Ireland game |
| 14 Oct 1986 | Luxembourg 0–6 BelgiumNot an Ireland game |
| 15 Oct 1986 | Ireland 0–0 Scotland |
| 12 Nov 1986 | Scotland 3–0 LuxembourgNot an Ireland game |
| 19 Nov 1986 | Belgium 1–1 BulgariaNot an Ireland game |
| 18 Feb 1987 | Scotland 0–1 IrelandLawrenson’s early goal won it at Hampden. |
| 1 Apr 1987 | Bulgaria 2–1 IrelandIreland’s only defeat, two Tanev goals, the second a late penalty. |
| 1 Apr 1987 | Belgium 4–1 ScotlandNot an Ireland game |
| 29 Apr 1987 | Ireland 0–0 Belgium |
| 30 Apr 1987 | Luxembourg 1–4 BulgariaNot an Ireland game |
| 20 May 1987 | Bulgaria 3–0 LuxembourgNot an Ireland game |
| 28 May 1987 | Luxembourg 0–2 Ireland |
| 9 Sep 1987 | Ireland 2–1 Luxembourg |
| 23 Sep 1987 | Bulgaria 2–0 BelgiumNot an Ireland game. Belgium, the group favourites, fell away. They did not beat Ireland or Bulgaria. |
| 14 Oct 1987 | Ireland 2–0 BulgariaIreland’s last game. Second-half goals from McGrath and Moran, then a month’s wait. |
| 14 Oct 1987 | Scotland 2–0 BelgiumNot an Ireland game |
| 11 Nov 1987 | Belgium 3–0 LuxembourgNot an Ireland game |
| 11 Nov 1987 | Bulgaria 0–1 ScotlandNot an Ireland game. Mackay, 86′. Scotland could not qualify; their win sent Ireland through. |
| 2 Dec 1987 | Luxembourg 0–0 ScotlandNot an Ireland game |
Highlighted: the two games that settled it.
The finals, West Germany
| Date | Game |
|---|---|
| 12 Jun 1988 | Ireland 1–0 EnglandStuttgart. Houghton scored the winner in the sixth minute. Ireland’s first game at a major finals. |
| 15 Jun 1988 | Ireland 1–1 Soviet UnionHanover. Whelan’s goal, Protasov levelled after 74 minutes. |
| 18 Jun 1988 | Ireland 0–1 NetherlandsGelsenkirchen. A draw would have sent Ireland to the semi-finals. Kieft scored after 82 minutes. |
Group 2, final table
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soviet Union | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| Ireland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| England | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
Ireland went out by one point. They were welcomed home by about 200000 people.
The squad
| No. | Pos | Player | Club | Caps before |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Packie Bonner | Celtic | 23 |
| 2 | DF | Chris Morris | Celtic | 5 |
| 3 | DF | Chris Hughton | Tottenham Hotspur | 36 |
| 4 | DF | Mick McCarthy | Celtic | 27 |
| 5 | DF | Kevin Moran | Manchester United | 36 |
| 6 | MF | Ronnie Whelan | Liverpool | 26 |
| 7 | MF | Paul McGrath | Manchester United | 23 |
| 8 | MF | Ray Houghton | Liverpool | 15 |
| 9 | FW | John Aldridge | Liverpool | 15 |
| 10 | FW | Frank Stapleton (captain) | Derby County | 63 |
| 11 | MF | Tony Galvin | Sheffield Wednesday | 24 |
| 12 | FW | Tony Cascarino | Millwall | 5 |
| 13 | MF | Liam O’Brien | Manchester United | 6 |
| 14 | FW | David Kelly | Walsall | 3 |
| 15 | MF | Kevin Sheedy | Everton | 13 |
| 16 | GK | Gerry Peyton | Bournemouth | 24 |
| 17 | FW | John Byrne | Le Havre | 14 |
| 18 | MF | John Sheridan | Leeds United | 4 |
| 19 | DF | John Anderson | Newcastle United | 15 |
| 20 | FW | Niall Quinn | Arsenal | 9 |
Caps as they stood when the tournament began.