Rep of Ireland 2-2 Belgium
Ireland looked like finishing second best to the world’s best until Alan Browne salvaged a draw on a never-say-die night.
And it was just the tonic for Stephen Kenny - who saw his team go seven games unbeaten - as defeat would have haunted him and his players.
Particularly having battled back from an early Michy Batshuayi opener, when it appeared Belgium were capable of racking up any sort of score they fancied.
Instead, the hosts never lost their nerve and twice came from behind with Chiedozie Ogbene’s overhead stealing the show.
The man-of-the-match then had the presence of mind to chase a lost cause late on, keep the ball in play and deliver the cross for Browne’s meaty header.
And Ogbene beamed: “The easiest thing to do would be to sit back and accept defeat but we didn’t do that.
“We showed character and determination and it took a lot out of us to get something out of the game. These are world No 1s and we matched them.
“That’s how far we’ve come in the last 12 months. We want to be up there with the best and this is where we want to play.”
Belgium also cleared off the line to deny Calum Robinson as Ireland pushed for glory in a see-saw clash that marked the FAI’s centenary anniversary.
Kenny said: “We’ve shown here against Portugal, Serbia and now Belgium that we’ve quality and a togetherness. Our players did brilliantly.
“I’m disappointed with the goals we conceded but we had the character to come back twice against the world No 1 with two brilliant goals and one cleared off the line.”
Yet for the first half an hour, Ireland fans were just worried by how much Belgium would win by, such was the stranglehold they had on the game.
Calm and controlled in all departments, they bossed the football and their one and two-touch play had the home side in a spin.
Ireland couldn’t get near the ball and were still trying to figure out what had hit them when Batshuayi scored a deserved opener after 12 minutes.
The Chelsea man - on loan at Turkish side Besiktas - cut inside Seamus Coleman and Matt Dohertry and beat Caoimhin Kelleher with a lightning quick shot.
But Ireland never panicked and for all Belgium’s possession they failed to work Kelleher again until their second goal was presented on a plate later on.
The Boys in Green jolted to life in the final 15 minutes of that opening half, and played with a renewed sense of purpose.
Kenny said: “Our pressing was relentless and forced a lot of mistakes and we were composed in possession.”
Ireland still hadn't mustered a shot on target up to that point, but Ogbene saw to that by scoring from the first one.
Robinson clipped a cross into the box which bobbled about before dropping to Ogbene who executed the audacious overhead kick to perfection.
“He seems to be constantly improving and that’s his third goal in a short space of time” gushed Kenny. “If he can produce that on a consistent basis I’ll be delighted.”
Ireland were the better side thereafter, pinning Belgium deep, and should have grabbed the lead four minutes into the second-half.
Coleman won the ball on the edge of the Belgian box but McClean - in a great position - snatched at his shot.
The ball fell to Robinson close in, but he couldn’t connect cleanly either and Jason Denayer hacked off the line.
But just as Ireland were taking control, they handed Belgium a second lead when Vanaken headed home a Thorgan Hazard corner unmarked.
Yet once again, Ireland refused to fold and Browne had the last laugh when he headed home Ogbene’s cross in the dying stages.
A year on from Ireland’s lowest ebb when losing at home to Luxembourg, skipper Coleman summed it up best.
“You can see a different team,” he said. “ It’s only a friendly and we’re not getting carried away but we performed really well against a quality side.”
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