And VAR gave Ireland an early liftTroy Parrott bagged the first goal yet againAnd lapped up the adulationAn own goal put Ireland in dreamlandThere was a long way to goAnd Ryan Manning's foul changed everythingChiedozie Ogbene, like many Irish players, ran himself into the groundIreland stood up to the CzechsJayson Molumby came so close to making it 3-1But Ireland couldn't hang onDespite the protestationsFinn Azaz and Alan Browne missed their spot-kicksIt was particularly cruel on Browne who had been here before in the Slovakia defeatThe Irish players were devastatedAnd the wait goes on for another World Cup appearanceNorth Macedonia awaits on Tuesday night in a friendly