Town midfielder Keith Andrews netted the first and ex-Blues skipper Jon Walters scored the second as the Republic of Ireland beat nine-man Estonia 4-0 in their Euro 2012 play-off first leg in Tallinn this evening. Elsewhere, striker Tamás Priskin was on target twice for Hungary.
Andrews, who was winning his 25th cap, opened the scoring for Ireland in the 13th minute with a header, his third international goal. Soon after the home side were reduced to 10 men.
After the break, former Blue Walters headed in his first full international goal on his first start.
Robbie Keane added the third when he rebounded an Andrews freekick, the Ireland skipper completing the scoring from the spot after the home side had seen the second of their two first choice centre-halves red-carded. Tuesday’s second leg in Dublin looks like being a formality.
After the game, a jubilant Andrews, who was named man of the match by Irish TV, said: "We've set our gameplan all week to get at their backline - and to get four away goals and a clean sheet is a fantastic result.
"There was only 10,000 in here but it felt like 50,000, they made so much noise. The country has been waiting for this for a long time and this bunch of players have come together well. It looks like we're off to the Euros now."
Elsewhere, Priskin netted his ninth and tenth full international goals as he won his 37th full cap in Hungary’s 5-0 friendly victory over Liechtenstein.
Photo; Action Images