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Keane goal sinks Colombians in Fulham

29/05/2008

An early Robbie Keane strike was enough to hand Ireland a 1-0 win over Colombia in tonight's friendly at Craven Cottage.

The Tottenham striker's third-minute goal proved the difference between the two sides, giving Giovanni Trapattoni his first win as Ireland manager.

Keane profited from some loose defending when he latched on to Liam Miller's through ball, with his shot deflecting heavily off Elvis Gonzalez.

It was enough to beat Robinson Zapata in the Colombia goal, despite a last-ditch clearance attempt from his namesake Cristian.

Ireland were fortunate to earn the victory however, with Colombia bouncing back from the setback of conceding early on to dominate the game.

Dean Kiely, whose team West Brom recently won promotion to the Premier League, emerged as Ireland's best player with a string of top-class saves.

The goalkeeper had to be on the top of his game to deny the dangerous Colombians a route back into the match, although the profligacy of Edixon Perea and Juan Carlos Escobar helped.

A raft of second-half substitutions from Colombian coach Jorge Luis Pinto reduced the South Americans' attacking potency, allowing Trapattoni's side back into the game.

There were no further goals, however, allowing the Italian to celebrate his first win as Ireland boss following last week's impressive 1-1 draw with Serbia.