It was a bad trip down memory lane for Republic of Ireland captain Robbie Keane as he returned to the Stade de France for the first time since that infamous night back in November 2009.
As he addressed the media on the eve of the Ireland’s opening game of Euro 2016 against Sweden, Keane was forced to confront two of the worst experiences of his long international career: Thierry Henry’s handball in the World Cup play-off and Ireland’s dismal showing at Euro 2012.
It was perhaps inevitable that those questions would come up, but also just as obvious that Keane wasn’t going to be too keen to dwell on those nightmares.
“I forgot about it until you brought it up there,” he said when asked about the 2009 play-off game.
Ireland were denied a possible place at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when Henry controlled the ball with his hand before setting up William Gallas for the goal that gave France a 2-1 aggregate victory.
“It’s like any game you play. You have to forget about it as soon as possible. This is a completely different situation," Keane said.
“We’re playing against a completely different team and the players and coaching staff are fully focused on the Swedish game.”
The disappointment from 2012 still lingers, though, with Keane again bemoaning the difficulty of the group that included the two finalists, Spain and Italy, and a talented Croatia side. Then, the good spirit in the squad was not enough to overcome the shortcomings on the pitch.
This time around, the draw for Group E has only been slightly kinder, with Sweden, Belgium and Italy the opposition for Martin O'Neill's side. But Keane believes this squad can achieve a different outcome and reach the knockout stages of the competition for the first time.
He said: “There’s been a great spirit and there was a great spirit four years ago. We played against three of the best teams at that time and we didn’t win a game.
“We went into that group thinking we had a good chance of getting out of the group. The team spirit has always been high, but we played against some top, top teams and that’s the way it goes in international football sometimes.
“Are we ready now? Of course we are. No question about it. The lads are excited. I think everybody is just looking forward now to the games coming around.
“It’s been a great few weeks training and it’s gone as well as it can be. Thankfully everyone is getting back from injury and ready to go.”
Keane is unlikely to start Monday night’s game, despite declaring himself fit and ready for selection after overcoming a calf injury.
He has only featured once, as a substitute against Poland, since he was taken off after a poor first half against Georgia in September.
There’s certainly goals left in me.
Shane Long and Jonathan Walters are now the main attacking threats, with Daryl Murphy and James McClean name-checked by assistant manger Roy Keane during the week as alternative options through the middle.
Keane, whose five goals in qualifying came in two games against whipping boys Gibraltar, was defiant when asked whether he could still score at this level and bring his international tally to 68.
“There’s no question about it, just because I’ve been around a long time,” he stated.
“There are others here that are the same age as me but who maybe started their international careers later than me. There’s certainly goals left in me.
“I've been doing it since I was 17 years of age and I've continued to do it and I have been consistent in doing that, so there's no question about that.
“I'm fairly confident in my ability when given the opportunity. First and foremost, I'll do my best for the team, but if there's a chance there, hopefully I'll take it.”
