Football: Ireland win but pay high price

Roy Keane scored twice, Mark Kennedy was sent off, and the Republic of Ireland will be without three suspended players in their next World Cup qualifier in Lithuania on Wednesday, after emerging victorious from a bizarre battle with Iceland here yesterday.

Ireland took the lead but then trailed before a Keane-inspired comeback. They had to rely, though, on some dreadful defending by Iceland for three of their goals. Mick McCarthy, the Republic's manager, said: "I'd really like to thank them for the gifts of those goals. At 2-1 down my heart was pounding and I was feeling as sick as the proverbial donkey." Macedonia's 2-0 defeat in Lithuania last night means that his team are back in second place in Group Eight.

McCarthy awarded the 20-year-old West Bromwich winger Kevin Kilbane his full international debut. Iceland were captained by Bolton's Gudni Bergsson while Crystal Palace's Hermann Hreidarsson was in defence along with Stoke's Larus Sigurdsson.

The Republic went ahead in the 13th minute with a gift goal. Eyjolfur Sverrisson was involved in a mix-up with his goalkeeper, Kristjan Finnbogason, as both tried to cut out Steve Staunton's through pass, and the ball ran straight to David Connolly, who tucked it into an empty net from a few yards out for his sixth goal in eight internationals.

The home side hit back with some threatening attacks and Helgi Sigurdsson was felled from behind by Jeff Kenna, who was shown a yellow card, his second of the campaign. He will miss Wednesday's game.

The Irish were being forced back and Iceland equalised a minute before half-time. Larus Sigurdsson's cross from the right was only half cleared by Keane to Brynjar Gunnarsson, who sent a fierce shot through a crowd of players and beyond Shay Given's reach into the net.

Ireland sent on Kennedy at the start of the second half as a substitute for Kilbane, but it was Iceland who struck to take the lead with a highly contentious goal. Einar Danielsson turned the Irish defence with a purposeful run, Helgi Sigurdsson looked offside when the ball came through to him, but he drove it in from close range in the 47th minute.

Townsend was booked for leading the protests and he, too, will miss Wednesday's game. He ended the match with eight stitches in a leg wound after a bad tackle by Sverisson.

Ireland equalised after 54 minutes with the second goal of Keane's international career. It came from a Kennedy corner: the Manchester United man timed his jump perfectly to hit the net with a thumping header.

Keane doubled his tally in the 64th minute to regain the lead. Kennedy won possession in midfield and tried to find Keane with a quick low ball. Finnbogason should have cut it out, but it squirmed under him and Keane slipped it into the net.

Iceland were reduced to 10 men in the 72nd minute when Larus Sigurdsson was sent off for his second yellow card, a bad foul on Keane. Kennedy was then booked for disputing an offside verdict - he will also be suspended in Vilnius - but he played a big part in Ireland's final goal in the 79th minute, when his shot straight at Finnbogason was unaccountably pushed over his own line by the hapless goalkeeper.

Six minutes from time Kennedy continued to run with the ball after the whistle had been blown for offside, and was immediately shown the red card. "It was stupid from a player who probably turned the game for us in the second half. I've already had some very strong words with him," McCarthy said.