Irish victory in vain
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Article summary
Republic of Ireland 3-0 Norway Seán McCaffrey's side bow out of the competition despite the victory.
Article body
Second place
Seán McCaffrey's side finished in second place in Group 7 with six points, three behind hosts Belgium. A 1-0 defeat by the Belgians in their first game ultimately proved the Republic of Ireland's undoing, with a 3-1 win against Serbia and Montenegro on Friday not enough for McCaffrey's men.
Own goal
Norway, who finished bottom of the table having lost all three matches, got off to the worst possible start at the KFC Heist stadium, falling behind in only the fourth minute thanks to David Tønne's own goal.
Further strikes
Gary Mulligan doubled the lead midway through the first half and Norwegian misery was compounded with eleven minutes left as Paul Murphy made the final score 3-0.
