In the friendly win over Bulgaria, Alan Browne, Kevin Long, and James Collins all scored their first goal for Ireland. This was only the fourth time in the 562 game history of the Republic of Ireland where three players all scored their first international goal in the same fixture.
In the third international played by the Republic, a 4-2 win over Belgium in 1928, Jimmy White, Billy Lacey, and Jack Sullivan scored their first goals for the international side, with White notching a brace. This was the first win for the team.
It would take 48 years for the feat to be repeated, when, in a friendly game against Norway in March 1976, Liam Brady, a Jimmy Holmes penalty, and Mickey Walsh(on his debut) all scored their first goals in a 3-0 win. The game was also notable for being Tony Grealish's debut.
Fans would only have to wait 11 years for three players to open their international account in the same game, when David Kelly, John Byrne, and Niall Quinn all scored in a 5-0 win over Israel in November 1987. Kelly actually notched a hat trick in what was his first cap - the only Irish player ever to mark his debut with three goals.
No comments:
Post a Comment