Republic of Ireland Soccer Goal Facts and Statistics

The following are some interesting statistics, facts and information about the Republic of Ireland soccer team and Irish football in general.

Fastest Hat-Trick Scored by an Irish Player

Former Republic of Ireland record goal scorer Don Givens shares the distinction of having scored the most goals by an Irish international in a single match. In the 1976 European Football Championship qualifiers Turkey arrived in Dublin on 29 October 1975 for the last Irish match of the campaign. Ireland needed a big win to retain an interest in the group and to keep the pressure on group leaders, the Soviet Union. Within 39 minutes of the first half Ireland had raced to a 3-0 lead and Don Givens had scored all three goals in a ten minute spell.

It took another 50 minutes for Ireland and Givens to rack up another goal but by the end of the match the score was Don Givens 4 : Turkey 0. This was all the more remarkable as Givens had scored a hat-trick earlier in the campaign against the Soviet Union and had notched a single goal in a 1-1 away draw with Turkey.

This single Irish qualifying campaign contributed eight goals to Givens overall 19 goal record. This Irish goals scoring record lasted until Frank Stapleton surpassed it on 2nd June 1990.

Goal Scorers on Different Home Soccer Grounds

Former Irish internationals Tony Grealish and Kevin Sheedy, who both qualified to play for Ireland via the Granny Rule, share a unique soccer distinction for the Republic of Ireland senior football team. Both players have scored for Ireland on three separate Irish home grounds, Dalymount Park, Lansdowne Road and Tolka Park.

Scoring Directly From a Corner Kick

During a friendly match against Portugal in Boston, USA, on 7 June 1992, Irish soccer great Steve Staunton scored directly from a corner. The Republic of Ireland won the match 2-0. Staunton repeated this feat in a competitive match against Northern Ireland less than a year later. On 31 March 1993 at Lansdowne Road (now Aviva Stadium) the Republic of Ireland beat it’s near neighbour 3-0 in a 1994 World Cup Qualifier. Steve Staunton scored the Irish third goal in the 29th minute direct from a corner.

Highest Score Draw in an Irish International Football Match

Ireland’s first truly competitive match was World Cup qualifier against Belgium on 25 February 1934 at Dalymount Park.

It was a 4-4 thriller most notable for the goal scoring exploits of Paddy Moore of Aberdeen, who scored all of the Irish goals.

To this day this match against Belgium remains the highest score in a drawn match involving the Irish soccer team.

The Irish team on the day was: Jim Foley (Cork), Miah Lynch (Cork Bohemians), Tom Burke (Cork), Paddy Gaskins (Shamrock Rovers), Joe O’Reilly (Aberdeen), Joe Kendrick (Dolphin), Billy Kennedy (St James Gate), David Byrne (Coleraine), Paddy Moore (Aberdeen), Tim O’Keeffe (Cork), Jimmy Kelly (Derry City).

Most Goals Scored by an Irish Player in an International Match

The highest number of goals scored by a player in a Republic of Ireland international match is four. This was first achieved by Paddy Moore in a 4-4 draw with Belgium in 1934. It next occurred on 29 October 1975 when the QPR player, Don Givens, scored four goals against Turkey in a 1976 European Championship qualifier at Dalymount Park. On the way to emulating Paddy Moore’s earlier feat Don Givens also scored the fastest Republic of Ireland hat-trick ever.

There are plenty more such soccer facts and statistics but if you have any gems that you think should be included or if you have any corrections please contact Soccer Ireland today.

Republic of Ireland Goal Facts – Irish Goal Information – Ireland Goal Statistics – Irish Goal Scorers
Goals Scored Direct from Corner – Republic of Ireland Caps Information – Last All Irish-Born Team
Republic of Ireland Soccer Information – Irish Soccer Records – Republic of Ireland Soccer Facts
Irish Soccer Information – Republic of Ireland Wins Losses & Draws – Irish Soccer Facts
Irish Dual Internationals – Irish Soccer Statistics Index – Every Irish International Footballer Ever