It wouldn't have been an important Ireland qualifying match for a major tournament without a bit of handball-related controversy, but in Tuesday's Euro 2012 qualifier against Armenia, Ireland was a bit more fortunate in a few different ways.
The Telegraph explains:
Whether the Football Association of Ireland will offer the Armenians a replay of this fixture ? an Irish appeal ignored by the French Football Federation following Henry's handball in the World Cup play-off in Paris two years ago ? remains to be seen, but Ireland can point to the 26th minute dismissal of Armenia goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky as the defining moment of their victory.
Spanish referee Eduardo Gonzalez dismissed Berezovsky after he blocked Simon Cox's lob two yards outside the penalty area with his bicep, yet Gonzalez crucially failed to spot Cox controlling the ball in the first instance with his right arm.
And with that man advantage, Ireland got even luckier to find a goal just before halftime when Kevin Doyle, who was eventually sent off himself, whiffed on his attempt at a backheel right at the post, only to have Armenia defender Valeri Aleksanyan put it in the net for him.
Despite a valiant attempt at a comeback after falling behind 2-0 in the second half, Armenia ended up losing 2-1, which makes poor Aleksanyan's mistake hurt that much more. But, Ireland now has a spot in the playoffs and a chance to qualify for a major tournament for the first time in 10 years. Hopefully this ends its relationship with handballs in crucial matches for a while and Aleksanyan gets a chance to redeem himself in World Cup qualifying.
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