Rep of Ireland 2 - 0 Bosnia: Irish reach Euro 2016

Jonathan Walters leaps into the air with joy after opening the scoring from the penalty spot in Dublin last night. Picture: Getty

Six years to the week after Irish hearts were broken by the unseen Thierry Henry handball which cost them a place at the 2010 World Cup finals, the Republic benefited from an equally suspect decision against unfortunate defender Ervin Zukanovic as Walters opened the scoring from the spot.

But the game remained in the balance until the Stoke frontman dispatched a volley past former team-mate Asmir Begovic 20 minutes from time to wrap up a 2-0 win on the night and a 3-1 aggregate victory.

Manager Martin O’Neill’s decision to employ Robbie Brady at left-back rather than in the midfield role he occupied in Bosnia paid dividends.

Brady’s attacking instincts and pace helped limit the influence of winger Edin Visca, who had led the Republic a merry dance at the Bilino Polje Stadium.

Where Ireland had contained in Zenica, they set out looking to attack on home soil with Begovic blocking one Brady cross with his legs and Zukanovic heading another away as the home side prospered down the left.

However, O’Neill’s men were handed a stroke of good fortune when Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers ruled that Zukanovic had handled Daryl Murphy’s cross to the defender’s horror and the surprise of most of those present.

But Walters was not about to pass up the opportunity, sending Begovic the wrong way  to give the Irish a 24th-minute lead.

As Bosnia responded positively, Edin Dzeko drilled a low effort into the side-netting two minutes later and midfielder Haris Medunjanin might have done better 13 minutes before the break when he skied his shot from Dzeko’s knock-down.

As the second half unfolded, Ireland came under genuine pressure. Medunjanin shot straight at Darren Randolph from distance and Dzeko unwittingly blocked a Visca effort on its way towards goal before defender Ciaran Clark was relieved to see his header from a curling Medunjanin free-kick only just clear his own crossbar.

Lulic miskicked in front of goal after Visca had escaped Brady’s attentions with 54 minutes gone, and O’Neill moved to arrest the slump by replacing Wes Hoolahan and Murphy with James McClean and Shane Long.

Play moved swiftly from end to end, but Bosnia were looking the more threatening and Pjanic’s 60th-minute snapshot was blocked at source after Medunjanin had picked him out with a clever free-kick.

But the Republic extended their lead with 20 minutes remaining when, after he had been felled by defender Emir Spahic, Walters volleyed home from beyond the far post after Ognjen Vranjes could only  help on Brady’s swinging free-kick.

Substitute Vedad Ibisevic rattled the bar with a flying injury-time volley, but Ireland had done enough.