The Irish have had more than their share of media attention in the build-up to their campaign after inspirational team captain Roy Keane was controversially kicked out of the squad for undermining the authority of manager Mick McCarthy by demanding better welfare and training preparations for his team-mates. The absence of Roy Keane--- who had been instrumental in helping his country to qualify for the finals at the expense of the more celebrated Netherlands team--- was always going to haunt the Irish if they underperformed; and the Europeans came out of the blocks with all guns blazing as they were perhaps guilty of overcompensating Keane’s absence.

Cameroon, though, have their own inspirational skipper, and in Rogobert Song they have the only player to be sent off in two World Cups in the history of the competition. The former Liverpool and West Ham defender tried hard to lift his team; bless him, but almost sent the African champions behind on two occasions with two close shaves. First Song almost deflected Ian Harte’s low hard cross into his own net before his custodian Alioum plucked the ball from the air in the first half, then he was a whisker away from handling the ball over the line before Alioum came to the rescue again.

After a frantic start, both teams gradually settled into the rhythm of the game and showed some nice touches on the ball, with the trickery of strikers Mboma and Eto’o giving the leaden-footed Irish defenders twisted blood. The former showed off an audacious piece of skill in the 11th minute just outside the Irish box when he feinted to trap a pass from the left but instead used his heel to knock the ball diagonally forward into space, but his team-mates failed to read the move and a chance went begging.

The opener arrived in the 38th minute when Eto’o made a monkey of Steve Staunton on the right, sending the veteran Irish defender sprawling to ground as he cleverly dribbled past his marker and squared a pass back to Mboma in the box, and the Parma striker slotted the ball past Matt Holland and Gary Kelly to give his side the lead. With a name like Mboma, there’s a Hanson hit waiting to be dedicated to him if his fans ever catch on.

The Irish came out of the half-time break a vastly improved side with Steve Finnan replacing Jason McAteer on the right, and the Fulham player made an immediate mark on the game by creating a chance with a delightfully weighted cross. Cameroon were left ruing a glorious opportunity to double their lead in the 50th minute when Ian Harte lost possession to Geremi from Shay Given’s throw-out, but the Real Madrid player advanced unchallenged into the box only to blaze his shot wildly over the crossbar.

Such profligacy was immediately punished by the Irish a minute later. Damien Duff--- who is usually employed as a left winger by his club Blackburn Rovers rather as an out-and-out striker--- whipped in a curling cross from the left that Kalla could only head away unconvincingly, and the ball fell to Matt Holland’s feet for the Ipswich midfielder to drill a precise half-volley into the corner of the net.

The game then fizzled out into a stalemate, although Robbie Keane was unlucky not to have won it for the Irish when his long swerving shot around the keeper bounced back off the post eight minutes from time.

"Are you watching, Roy Keane?" sang jubilant Irish fans in the bizarrely-named Big Swan stadium. On the evidence of Steve Staunton's inept display at the heart of the Republic's defence, Keane might have thought he was watching Swan Lake at the theaters instead.

Rep of Ireland: Given, Gary Kelly, Breen, Staunton, Harte, McAteer, Holland, Kilbane, Kinsella, Duff, Robbie Keane.

Cameroon: Alioum, Kalla, Wome, Song, Lauren, Geremi, Eto'o, Foe, Olembe, Tchato, Mboma.