Time running out? Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson during the World Cup qualifying clash with Armenia at Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan. Photo: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
In an alcove off the corridor leading out of the press room in the Republican Stadium, Heimir Hallgrimsson spoke softly in his attempt to discuss the horror of what had just unfolded, his voice temporarily drowned out by the sound of applause greeting the arrival of his Armenian counterpart Yegishe Melikyan.
This had shades of Cyprus 2006, a debacle christened the nightmare in Nicosia that will always be etched in the mind of those present. Cypriot coach Angelos Anastasiadis arrived into his press conference dressed in black because he was still mourning a previous defeat that had put him under pressure before his team scored five goals against a visiting team that included top Premier League players like Robbie Keane, Richard Dunne, John O’Shea and Damien Duff.