Ireland at Wembley: A 67-year history of highs and lows from Niall Quinn’s equaliser to Kevin Moran’s sending off

HIGHS

2013 – Ireland return to Wembley after 22 years

But Frank Lampard struck 10 minutes later for Roy Hodgson’s England as the sides played out a draw in the friendly, attended by over 80,000.

Séamus Coleman, who supplied the assist for Long, is the only remaining survivor from that starting line-up. Robbie Brady was an unused substitute and current Ireland assistant John O’Shea played the full 90 minutes.

1994 – Keane and Irwin clinch FA Cup for United

Roy Keane won the first of his four FA Cups with United 30 years ago this year, as the midfielder and his fellow Corkman Denis Irwin helped Alex Ferguson’s side to their eighth FA Cup. Four second-half goals saw United overcome Chelsea in the decider, with the losers bringing on former Irish striker Tony Cascarino for the final 11 minutes.

United clinched a league and cup double that season, beating Blackburn to the title by eight points. Keane and Irwin also went on to win their second FA Cup at Wembley two years later, defeating a Liverpool side which included Jason McAteer and Phil Babb.

1991 – Ireland’s first competitive point at Wembley

The Boys in Green had been on a bit of a run against the Three Lions when they arrived in London in March 1991. Having secured a famous Stuttgart win at Euro 88 before back-to-back draws at Italia 90 and in Euro 92 qualifying, Jack Charlton’s side picked up a third successive draw against England courtesy of Niall Quinn’s equaliser.

Lee Dixon had put the hosts in front early on, but the likes of Irish skipper Kevin Moran, Paul McGrath and John Aldridge were among those who helped the visitors to a point. The campaign would end in heartbreak though as they would miss out on a third successive major tournament after finishing just one point behind England.

1976 – Ireland battle to first draw at Wembley

Johnny Giles led Ireland to their first draw at the famous London venue in a friendly in 1976, as Gerry Daly’s second-half penalty cancelled out Stuart Pearson’s strike just before the interval. With Kevin Keegan captaining an England side managed by Don Revie, the Irish 11 included famous names like Giles, Don Givens, Liam Brady and David O’Leary.

“That game was my first at Wembley,” reflected Brady later. “I was told what to expect, the atmosphere, the sheer size of the place. John Giles was no stranger there and he made sure we were prepared. What he did not expect was to discover that there seemed to be more Irish fans than England fans in the stadium.”

1948 – Johnny Carey captains United to FA Cup

After playing for Home Farm in his youth, ex-Ireland defender and manager Johnny Carey was spotted in Dublin by Billy Behan and soon earned a move to Old Trafford aged 17. The year before he became the first Irishman to be named FWA Footballer of the Year, he captained United to FA Cup glory against Blackpool at Wembley in 1948.

Carey, who died in 1995, went on to lead Matt Busby’s side to the First Division title in 1952, thus becoming the first player from outside the UK to captain a winning team in the league and the FA Cup. He was also capped by the FAI and IFA and later went on to manage Ireland, Everton and Blackburn.

LOWS

2020 – Videogate

This one was remembered for what happened off the pitch, rather than on it. The full-time scoreboard at an empty Wembley Stadium read 3-0 courtesy of strikes from Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, on a night when a 17-year-old Jude Bellingham made his senior debut.

As England beat Ireland for the first time since 1985, back home the headlines were to be dominated by a three-minute motivational video shown to the Irish players before the friendly, which included representations of the Easter Rising as well as past Irish victories over the Three Lions.

The FAI soon said they would be investigating the incident as a “matter of urgency to establish the facts”, but after talks with Stephen Kenny and his players, the association accepted the explanations and closed the matter.

1985 – Kevin Moran makes history

In the 1985 showpiece, former Ireland defender Kevin Moran wrote his name into the history books for the wrong reasons as he became the first player in the FA Cup’s 113-year history to be sent off in the final.

The Manchester United man won his first FA Cup two years previously, but here, with 12 minutes remaining against Everton, a professional foul on Peter Reid saw Moran sent off.

Controversially, Moran was prevented from collecting his medal at Wembley with his teammates, but an FA vote afterwards allowed him to receive it months later. “I went up the steps and the guy went to give it to me. I said ‘no, I can’t take the medal’ but I should have took it!” he later reflected.

The Dubliner was capped 71 times by the Republic of Ireland and also won two All-Ireland football titles with Dublin.

1957 – Ireland’s nightmare first trip to Wembley

As Ireland’s first away match against England was played in Goodison Park – a famous 2-0 victory in 1949 – their first trip to Wembley came eight years later in a qualifier for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. Paired with England and Denmark in their group, Ireland opened the campaign with a 2-1 win over the Danes before travelling to London.

While it was a historic moment for Ireland to play underneath the famous twin towers, football-wise it was a night to forget as they fell to a 5-1 defeat in front of 52,000. Manchester United’s Thomas Taylor (who died in the Munich Air disaster with Dubliner Liam Whelan) netted a first-half hat-trick for the hosts while Dubliner Dermot Curtis became the first player to score for Ireland at the London venue.

An earlier version of this piece included incorrect information about Kevin Moran’s Man United tenure and has since been updated