SOCCER:Jesus wept. Homer nodded. Nero fiddled. Stan just shook his head. His Irish team huffed and puffed in front of him for a full 90 minutes worth of exquisite embarrassment in San Marino, writes Tom Humphriesin San Marino

A 2-1 win over San Marino! A scraped late goal which deprived the locals of a deserved and romantic conclusion gave Ireland three points, but the future of Staunton and his sponsor, John Delaney, are in severe jeopardy once again.

Staunton afterwards looked and sounded as if he didn't quite comprehend the magnitude of his side's incompetence. He spoke of "character" and "battling", he commented that San Marino were always "going to be a handful as the group wore on".

He was speaking about the 198th-ranked side in the world.

We offer certain items of trivia which we gathered because we were bored, and by the 35th-scoreless minute we were thumbing the stats books: by this stage in every game so far San Marino had trailed by three goals.

When the half-time whistle blew the boos rang out from the hardy contingent of Irish supporters who'd had nothing but suffering to warm them since the ooompa ooompa band went off. By half-time here Germany had been five up and were planning on scoring eight after the break.

The longest period which the Sammarinese had held out in their previous games in this qualification group was 15 minutes, so when Robbie Keane scuffed a shot wide past the post just on the quarter of an hour we felt a little sinking feeling in our partisan hearts.

Not that anyone really cared. The atmosphere at the Stadio di Serravalle wouldn't have been out of place at the deathbed of an unpopular relative. The anthems were parped by a brass band which was blessed by a membership so large that it almost outnumbered a crowd of 3,290 huddled forlornly in the stands.

The home supporters had done just that - stayed at home to catch some entertainment on the telly. Even for San Marino the visit of Ireland was a novelty akin to a little seasonal drizzle.

In they end Ireland got the three points that all visitors here expect to receive like a passport check. It wasn't enough to erase the blushes or to stop the questions. The team left the field to a chorus of chants. "Delaney Out. Delaney Out."

"We got the three points," said Staunton, "we showed fighting spirit. We controlled the game from start to finish. We're grateful for the three points."

Even if Ireland had lost, he said firmly, he wouldn't have considered his position.

In the stand above fans remembered the great landmark days. Scoreless in Liechtenstein. Clueless in Trinidad and Tobago. Humiliated in Cyprus. This was up there - or down there, whichever way you looked at it.

Staunton emerged from the press tent and a few fans beyond the wire screeched abuse at him as he went to the team bus.

During the break, we couldn't help ourselves drawing pointless comparisons as the home goalie, Aldo Junior Simoncini, went to his cup of tea with a grin on his face. Germany had been five up here at half-time. The Czechs had been four up at home. Even we had been three ahead at home. The Sammarinese don't do tension. Beat them and shake hands.

Ireland's ineptitude defied description.

The Irish manager seemed content, though, that "we had four chances after they scored. That showed tremendous spirit."

After a scoreless first half and a lull after Kilbane's goal, you wouldn't say the Sammarinese grew in confidence but they certainly diminished in timidity. They made the odd excursion into the Irish half, a sense of adventure which had already forced Wayne Henderson into the humiliation of having to remove his hands from his hips a few times.

When the San Marino goal came, comical as it was, there was something just about it. They had given everything.

Towards the fraught end Staunton almost took off a midfielder and put on a forward. He remembered himself just in time. Steve Ireland, the midfielder in question, bungled in the winner. Karma?

Staunton stumbles on.

And John Delaney? He who had a dream? When it comes to mediocrity, we have been to the mountain top, John.