The Bhoys’ gallantry was undone by a handball in the penalty box 20 minutes from time with Pancyrian, stunned 2-0 by CD Iberia the previous weekend, looking vulnerable. Julio DeSantos, the Greek-Cypriots’ ace striker, converted the ensuing spot kick

“The competition pool roof just peeled back and blew across and landed on the leisure pool roof,” said Liam Bohan, director of Dublin Waterworld, the company that runs the facility. “Apart from the roof damage, there’s internal damage to the skylights, to the tiles, the floors. The one saving grace is that the place was closed on New Year’s Day. With the size of the stuff flying around, who knows what might have happened?”
None of this would be of much import except this is the venue on which the taoiseach Bertie Ahern — who we all know is genuinely, seriously, absolutely sports-mad — spent