Choker at Croker as Trap gets Pole-axed
Giovanni Trapattoni saw his charges slump to their first defeat under his tenure.
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IT was almost too much to bear last night as Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni saw his charges slump to their first defeat under his leadership.
The match against Poland at Croke Park appeared headed for a tame finish with the host side 2-0 down. But in a dramatic final four minutes, three more goals saw the match finish 3-2 to the Poles, a more respectable scoreline for the manager, pictured with his assistant Marco Tardelli, but a defeat nonetheless.
Ireland left red-faced as the neighbours raise roof
"Polska! Polska! Polska!" was the battle-cry last night as thousands of Polish people took to the streets of Dublin to cheer on their national team in Croke Park.
They marched in disciplined columns, waving banners and shouting in unison, making a sharp contrast to their Irish counterparts who weren't nearly so organised.
Feeble cries of "Come on ye boys in green!" were all but drowned out by the bellows of supporters clad in red and white flags.
Dublin has become a city of many cultures, and the Polish form a huge part of this melting pot. Last night, Ireland came face to face with a part of itself.
Spectrum
The match divided a whole social spectrum, splitting the loyalties of girlfriends, boyfriends, colleagues and friends.
It was a night when the 250,000 members of Ireland's fiercely-proud Polish community welcomed their national football team to their adopted homeland, and they certainly pulled out all the stops.
One Polish fan said that he couldn't be sure whether he was in Poland or Ireland, such was the profusion of ecstatic Poles last night.
Adam Grabski had tiny Polish flags painted on his cheeks and was standing with his Irish friend, both of them looking bemused at the scenes of mayhem surrounding them.
"It's madness, there are so many Polish people," he said, adding that things had changed in Ireland over the last few years. "Life is better for Polish people now, society is more inclusive."
Despite the many Irish in relationships with Polish people, there was a noticeable lack of romance last night, with everyone rooting firmly for their own team.
Some of the more diplomatic couples wore half-green and half-red scarves to indicate their divided loyalties, but most admitted that they were firmly on one side or the other.
Irishman Dave Donohoe and his Polish girlfriend Ula Manffeld had no illusions about who they were cheering for.
"I'm so excited and so proud," said Ms Manffeld.
"I've never been to a football match before and it's so great that I get to be here to support my team in Ireland."
Her boyfriend, on the other hand, was wearing his Irish colours proudly last night.
"Ula will be cheering for Poland, but she'll be doing it quietly," he joked.
Ms Manffeld says things have improved for the Polish community in Ireland.
"I've only been here a while, but friends of mine who have lived here for years say that Ireland is a different place from what it was then. Now we have Polish shops, Polish newspapers and a whole contingent of Polish football supporters!
"It'd be nice to say I'm rooting for Ireland too, but I'm not! I'm for Poland all the way," she said. "I'm a bit disappointed that I'll be surrounded by Irish people in the stands, but sure I'll just have to cheer all the louder!"
