A first start, a first goal and no doubt the first of many.
Evan Ferguson only has another 67 to go to reel in Robbie Keane, which may not be as mad as it sounds.
But a night that should have been dominated by talk of the teen - and Will Smallbone and Callum O’Dowda’s fine supporting roles - threatened to descend into farce.
Not for the first time, player focus went for a wander as Ireland allowed bang average opposition to flip a game on its head with long range strikes.
Latvia - ranked 133rd in the world - scored with two shots in a crazy 11-minute spell to cancel out O’Dowda and Ferguson’s early openers.
New jersey, new crest. Same old story.
Stephen Kenny had asked for headaches going into Monday’s big showdown with France, but he had selection in mind - not issues of his team’s own making.
Giovanni Trapattoni used to bang on about the ‘little details’ but Kenny’s Ireland could do with tightening up on a few of them.
Next week they face the first examination of their Euros credentials in what is an extraordinarily tough group.
Granted, only about five of the team that started this friendly are likely to do so on Monday, but France will punish Ireland if they are this loose again.
Ireland have to make their own luck on a treacherous qualification path, but that’s hard to do when you’re busy shooting yourself in the foot.
Thankfully, super subs Mikey Johnston and Chiedozie Ogbene spared any blushes by combining two minutes after their arrival to put Ireland back in front.
Ogbene’s 65th minute tap-in, after new recruit Johnston - the Celtic winger on loan in Portugal - hit the post, rescued a win on a night that shouldn’t have been so taxing.
But parking the unnecessary drama for a moment, who stepped forward to put their hand up for inclusion against France?
If Ferguson is a given at this stage - he shook off a knock in the second-half - then man-of-the-match Smallbone was the biggest winner here.
Johnston, late on, also showed glimpses of why Kenny was so determined to see the Glasgow-born ace switch allegiances but he’ll cook on the bench for a while longer.
But Smallbone enjoyed a debut to remember and effortlessly carried his solid Ireland Under-21 form onto the senior stage.
The Southampton man - on loan at Stoke City - showed why Kenny rates him as a “natural playmaker and intelligent footballer” with a hand in both the opening goals.
O’Dowda headed his cross home after six minutes to cap off a flowing Irish move that also involved Jayson Mulumby, Ferguson and Mat Doherty.
And Ireland were cruising 11 minutes later when Ferguson bagged the goal that Irish fans were crying out to see him score.
Smallbone and Doherty were centrally involved again, with the latter sending in a deep, dipping cross that goalkeeper Pavels Steinbors got fingertips to.
It was a vital intervention but the ball fell to Michael Obafemi on the endline and the Burnley striker teed up the 18-year-old to finish from close range.
Ireland piled on the pressure with Alan Browne, O’Dowda and Smallbone all threatening to stretch the lead.
But Kenny’s Ireland have a frustrating knack of making life difficult for themselves when protecting leads and in the space of 11 ridiculous minutes, Latvia were level.
Even the Irish fans stood to applaud Roberts Uldrikis when he unleashed a 30-yard rocket high into Caoimhin Kelleher’s net, after Latvia punished a stray Doherty ball.
Once is forgivable, but twice is just careless as Ireland’s snail-like reactions when closing down players was a recurring theme last year too.
Latvia hadn’t laid a glove on Ireland up to that point, yet Kelleher was plucking the ball from his net once again in first-half injury time.
Collins, Andrew Omobamidele, Dara O’Shea and O’Dowda all made a hames of clearing a ball from the box.
Arturs Zjuzins said ‘thank you very much’ and let fly with a perfectly executed half-volley from the edge of the box.
Nobody among the home support was applauding that one.
Rather, a handful of boos rang out as Kenny and his players traipsed in at the break wondering what had just happened.
But Johnston and Ogbene combined off the bench to put right an unnecessarily complicated day at the office.
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