Ireland 4 Georgia 0: Keane caps off record-equalling day with double in easy win for Trapattoni's men



Robbie Keane marked his record-equalling 125th appearance for the Republic of Ireland with a double to see off 10-man Georgia.

The 32-year-old climbed off the bench to draw level with keeper Shay Given and will go top of the list if, as expected, he leads Ireland into World Cup qualifier battle with the Faroe Islands on Friday evening.

Keane claimed his 55th international goal from point-blank range with 13 minutes of the game remaining and then took his tally to 56 three minutes from time to seal a comfortable victory with the Georgians labouring after keeper Giorgi Loria's 20th-minute dismissal.

At the double: Keane scored his 55th and 56th goals for Ireland in his 125th appearance

Me again: Keane celebrates his goal against Georgia on a special day for the Irishman

Scorer: Keane capped off a record-equalling day in typical fashion

Derby defender Richard Keogh had opened the scoring three minutes before the break with his first senior international goal, and Nottingham Forest striker Simon Cox extended the home side's lead three minutes after the restart after good work by James McClean.

In the lowest of low-key friendlies, manager Giovanni Trapattoni will have been pleased with the efforts of his under-studies with midfielder Wes Hoolahan turning in an impressive individual display and full back Marc Wilson proving his fitness after a niggling hamstring injury.

There was even a 25-minute cameo from experienced defender Richard Dunne, who was handed his first taste of action in almost a year after an injury nightmare.

Making a name: Ireland's Richard Keogh celebrates scoring on his first start

Keogh

Given that the game was being played on June 2 at a sparsely-populated Aviva Stadium, there was a distinctly end-of-season feel about events with Trapattoni having made nine changes to the side which lined up at Wembley in midweek.

His team started in accordingly slow fashion, but having worked their way into the game, took control early on and never looked like surrendering it.

They were aided and abetted in no small part by the premature departure of Loria, who trudged off the pitch with just 20 minutes gone after racing from his goal and upending strike Shane Long to prompt Romanian referee Sebastian Constantin Coltescu to produce a red card.

Loria had earlier kept the visitors in it with a fine save from skipper-for-the-day Long, who showed an impressive burst of pace to leave central defender Akaki Khubutia in his wake, only to be denied by a solid block.

Fired in: Trapattoni was pleased with what he saw at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin

Wilson demonstrated his return to fitness after a persistent hamstring injury by blasting two long-range efforts just off target, but it was McClean who almost broke the deadlock with 23 minutes gone.

The Sunderland winger took charge of the free-kick awarded for Loria's misdemeanour and curled the ball towards the top corner.

However, as the Ireland fans behind the goal waited for the net to ripple, substitute keeper Omar Migineishvili threw out a hand and managed to claw his effort away.

Long drilled a stinging half-volley inches wide two minutes later as the 10 men tried desperately to regroup, a feat they managed to achieve briefly to frustrate their hosts.

But their resistance was finally broken three minutes before the break after Khubutia was penalised for a foul on Long wide on the right.

Chums: Ireland's Simon Cox celebrates scoring against with team-mate Shane Long McClean curled the resulting free-kick into the box and Keogh climbed highest to send a downward header past Migineishvili and into the net. Trapattoni sent on Keane at the break, but it was Cox who made an impact within three minutes of the restart when, having been moved to the right wing to accommodate the LA Galaxy frontman, he turned up in the right place at the right time to side-foot home McClean's driven cross. McClean, who has endured an indifferent season with the Black Cats, was a constant threat as he repeatedly ran at full-back Guram Kashia, to the extent that substitute David Targamadze was detailed to help the defender out. Fight: Ireland face the Faroe Islands on Saturday as they hope to get their World Cup bid back on track

But it was Hoolahan, making a rare start for his country, who split the Georgian defence wide open with 58 minutes gone as he slid Long in, but the striker was once again denied, this time by Migineishvili.

Hoolahan might have added his own name with the scoresheet on the hour when he got his head to Wilson's left-wing free-kick, but he glanced his effort harmlessly wide.

Cox smashed a 64th-minute volley across the goal after controlling Wilson's inviting cross on his chest, but the groans of disappointment turned to cheers within seconds when Dunne made his entrance.