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Ireland, which secured a 2012 European football championship play-off place at the expense of 10 football players of Armenia, now, too, knows how it feels to profit from refereeing shortcomings, says the well-known British newspaper The Telegraph, referring to yesterday's football match between Armenia and Ireland in Dublin.

The defining moment of Ireland's victory was the dismissal of Armenia team's goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky on the 26th minute of the match. Spanish referee Eduardo Gonzalez dismissed Berezovsky after the ball touched his bicep when he blocked Simon Cox about two meters outside the penalty area, yet, as The Telegraph says, Gonzalez failed to spot Cox controlling the ball in the first instance with his right arm.

“It just came over my shoulder and I tried to control it. Some you get, some you don’t, but I don’t think it was a handball by the keeper,” The Telegraph cites Simon Cox, noting that had Cox been punished for offence, Armenia would have been awarded a free-kick, but against 10 men, Ireland secured a play-off place.

“Whether the Football Association of Ireland will offer the Armenians a replay of this fixture — an Irish appeal ignored by the French Football Federation following Henry’s handball in the World Cup play-off in Paris two years ago — remains to be seen,” says the British newspaper, adding that even playing against 10 men, the Irish struggled to suggest they'll be able to end the 10-year wait for participation at a major tournament - they had to rely on good fortune.