Ireland Is Heart Broken at World Cup Football Qualifying vs. France

This past Wednesday night most of Ireland was glued to the telly (TV) watching the second and final World Cup qualifying game vs. France, this one being played in Paris.  A few days earlier France beat Ireland 1-0 here in Dublin, but it requries two games in World Cup Football (soccer) to decide between countries who ended 2 round qualifying in a tie.  That was the case between Irland and France.

In this second game, to determine which of the two teams would go to South Africa in 2010, regulation time ended with Ireland 'winning' 1-0.  But because France won in Dublin by the same score, the two teams were again tied.  The first tied breaker is to play two addional 15 minute periods and see if anyone wins, if not then it goes to penalty shots. In the first 15 minute period the captain of the French team catch the ball with his hand, but was not penalized by the Swedish referee.  Below is how the Associated Press describes the aftermath . . .

FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) rejected Ireland's request to replay its World Cup qualifier against France on Friday, while Thierry Henry (France's captain) said a rematch would be "the fairest solution" to resolve the furor over his extra-time hand ball that set up the deciding goal.

Henry used his left hand to keep the ball from going out of play, then passed to William Gallas, who headed in the decisive goal. At the time of Henry's hand ball, which went unpunished by Swedish referee Martin Hansson despite fervent appeals by Ireland players, the match was 17 minutes from reaching a penalty shootout.

The huge sports story here in Ireland is all that is being talked about even today, two days after the event.  It was heart breaking even for me as I was one of millions glued to the TV with two other friends.  Last night at the pub it gave me a great opportunity to talk with a couple of the lads I regularly meet up with . . .  Romans 8:28!