Before Saturday nights game against the Dutch most Irish supporters were worried about some of Mick McCarthy's selections. But after 90 minutes of play, not a bad word could be said about any of the players who wore the green with such pride.

There was a huge bone of contention about the pairing of Gary Breen and Richard Dunne in the centre of the Irish defence, as there was about the selection of Jason McAteer ahead of Gary Kelly on the right of midfield.

All three came through with flying colours. Breen and McAteer had their best games in their international careers and Dunne staked a claim for a place against Portugal.

Despite playing very little football this season Coventry's Breen and Everton's Dunne both looked as sharp as a tack. Both players put in some great tackles as they held the Dutch to long range efforts.

Anybody who watched McAteer play for Blackburn Rovers on Monday night against Sheffield Wednesday could not foresee the impact he would have on the international stage. He was awful to the extreme against Wednesday but he was like a different man on Saturday night in Amsterdam.

He linked beautifully with Stephen Carr and between them they set up the first Irish goal. He capped his performance with Ireland's second goal, which looked to have wrapped up the three points. When he was substituted, Ireland looked unbalanced and the Dutch fought back.

Any plaudits the team and Mick McCarthy get for their performance are fully merited. They were outstanding for long periods of the game aided and abetted by the control of midfield shown by Roy Keane and Mark Kinsella.

Both men were immense in their roles as they ran themselves into the ground for the cause and long may it continue.