Search icon

Entertainment

04th Jun 2020

Ireland’s iconic 2002 World Cup game against Germany is being shown on TV this weekend

James Fenton

It’s the summer of 2002, Liberty X are top of the charts and a fresh-faced Matt Damon is starring in the Bourne Identity.

All over Ireland, Leaving Cert students are in the middle of English Paper 2 when suddenly, a roar as loud as anything we’d heard since 1990 sweeps across the nation.

Almost 10,000 miles away in Japan, Robbie Keane has just hit the back of the German net and Ireland’s World Cup bacon has been saved. The Dubliner’s last-gasp goal secured a 1-1 draw with the eventual finalists and ensured that our win over Saudi Arabia a few days later would secure a place in the knockout stage.

It’s a sporting memory that is engraved into the nation’s psyche and we’ll get the chance to relive it all this coming Sunday when eir Sport replays the iconic match…

2002 was Ireland’s third World Cup campaign and if you happen to be reading this on Thursday (June 4), you’ll be able to catch the moment that effectively got us there later tonight. RTE will be showing the crucial Lansdowne Road qualifier against the Netherlands in which Jason McAteer… well, no spoilers.

You can catch the McAteer game on RTE 2 tonight at 9.30pm and follow it up with Robbie Keane’s finest hour on eir Sport 1 this coming Sunday. If you happened to be stuck in an exam hall on that famous afternoon then there’s no better chance to rectify it. What a summer…

Need inspiration for staying at home? Sign up to our Lovin Home Comforts newsletter here.

Topics: