10@10: He should have gone to Specsavers and Shay Given could make the Olympics - Ten things we learned from watching France v Ireland

Published 10:17 19/11/09

1) He should have gone to Specsavers...
After missing that hand ball it makes you wonder if the referee left his guide dog and long white stick in the dressing room before the game. What else did he miss in Paris? The Arc de Triomphe? The Eiffel Tower?

2) ...So should the linesman
Not only did Henry handle the ball TWICE in the build up to the goal, but two French players were offside when Flourent Malouda played in the free kick. None of the infringements were spotted.

3) Thierry Henry is not a Saint
The French striker has been lauded as something of a demi-God in England (if not in Tottenham or Manchester) over the past decade. While at Arsenal he combined sublime skill, goalscoring prowess and sportsmanship with being an all-round good egg. Now we know he's no saint.

4) The best a man can get
Expect the share price of Wilkinson Sword to shoot up today as thousands of Irish man switch razors. None of them will want to line the pockets of Gillette poster boy Henry.

5) Shay Given could be an Olympic sprinter
The ball hadn't even hit the back of the net before the Ireland goalkeeper had raced half the length of the pitch to remonstrate with the referee at a pace that Usain Bolt would have struggled to keep up with. He won't be at South Africa 2010 but he could make London 2012.

6) Luck of the Irish myth debunked
Perhaps the only positive to come out of this result for the Irish is that they may finally be able to shake off that annoying cliche about their legendary luck. The only luck they had last night was of the bad variety.

7) Video ref is a no-brainer
How many more incidents like this will it take before football bites the bullet and brings in a video ref for penalty area incidents?

8) Ancient sport makes a comeback
When all the furore dies down perhaps we will be thanking Thierry Henry for doing his best to resurrect a sport that has been extinct for years. French handball is back! (Thanks to Joanne O'Sullivan)

9) Bring back Pat
All the handball brouhaha has neatly glossed over the fact that France were pretty terrible last night. Coach Raymond Domenech needs to swallow his pride and bring Patrick Vieira back into the side sharpish.

10) They'll probably win it now...
With most of the world hoping they'll crash out at the group stage you wouldn't put it past the French to go and win it now.

And for all those Irish fans wishing to congratulate Thierry on his part in the goal, here is his Twitter page.

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