Kevin Kilbane jumps with Carles Puyol (Allsport).

By Neil Silver, PA Sport, Suwon

Ireland's World Cup adventure finally ended as it began - surrounded in high drama.

Four weeks ago, Mick McCarthy's men embarked on a rollercoaster of a ride as influential former captain Roy Keane was sent home in disgrace after verbally abusing the manager during a team meeting.

The battling Irish showed amazing courage as they came through a difficult group which included Germany and Cameroon, and set up this second-round tie with Spain.

Few people gave them much of a chance against a team who won their group with a 100 percent record.

But Ireland proved to be just the better team on the night, before losing in the heart-breaking lottery of a penalty shoot-out.

That was after they recovered from the setback of losing an early goal and then seeing Ian Harte miss a penalty, before Leeds striker Robbie Keane forced extra time by firing home a spot-kick in the final minute of normal time.

Keane and Steve Finnan both scored in the shoot-out which followed, while Matt Holland hit the bar and David Connolly and Kevin Kilbane saw their efforts saved by Iker Casillas.

It was then left to Lazio star Gaizka Mendieta to slide home the decisive penalty and send Spain into the last eight, while Ireland will head back home to Dublin on Tuesday.

On a night of high drama in Korea, Leeds defender Harte hit a poor 62nd-minute penalty down the centre of the goal and Casillas beat the ball away. Kilbane followed up but screwed the rebound wide of the left post.

Had Harte scored, he would have cancelled out a fine goal by Real Madrid striker Fernando Morientes in the eighth minute.

However, substitute Niall Quinn won a second penalty when Spain skipper Fernando Hierro was climbing all over him, and Keane stepped up to bury it in the bottom left corner.

It was his second dramatic late equaliser in this tournament, following his injury time strike against Germany in the group stage, and it took this tie into extra time and a possible golden goal decider.

Amazingly, Spain had to play extra time with only 10 men because Abelda - who had come off the bench for Morientes - was injured and all three substitutions had already been made by coach Jose Antonio Camacho.

When Ireland sit back and reflect on this game, they will see how close they came to pulling off one of the greatest results in the nation's history.

Spain looked slick as they came out of the traps flying and their pace and movement immediately had Ireland on the back foot, and the boys in green found themselves a goal down before they had settled.

The Spaniards won a throw-in down the right flank, level with the 18-yard line. Puyol threw it to Luis Enrique and when he got the ball back he delivered a teasing cross into the six-yard box. Morientes got in ahead of Gary Breen and guided a header inside the far post, leaving Shay Given with no chance.

Surprisingly, Spain sat back after their goal, content to try and hit the Irish on the break, and it was McCarthy's men who enjoyed more of the possession, but they failed to really hurt their opponents.

Ireland knew how it felt to fall behind in the first half, as it happened to them against both Cameroon and Germany in the group stage, and each time they hit back to draw 1-1.

But this time the opposition were a far tougher nut to crack and once again the absence of an Irish target man was a key factor, as McCarthy named an unchanged team.

They never really tested Spain goalkeeper Casillas in the first half and the closest they came to equalising was after 42 minutes. Keane latched on to Holland's chip into the box but had his back to goal as he tried to hook the ball over Casillas, and he put it over the bar.

Spain were always dangerous on the break but their strikers strayed offside too often for them to further punish the Irish.

McCarthy opted against bringing on Quinn at half time. Then Spain should have doubled their lead within 90 seconds of the restart when Raul's trickery on the edge of the box created an opening for Morientes, but Given made a great block with his body.

Ireland were forced to make a change after 49 minutes when skipper Steve Staunton failed to run off a knock he received in the first half, and he was replaced by Kenny Cunningham. Breen took the captain's armband.

When play restarted, Casillas dropped Harte's cross at the feet of Kilbane, but his shot was cleared off the line by skipper Fernando Hierro.

A huge cheer then went up among the Irish fans as Quinn was introduced in the 55th minute in place of Gary Kelly, with Duff dropping into the right midfield position.

It made all the difference as Duff cut in from the wing and won the penalty which should have seen Ireland draw level.

Things nearly got worse for the Irish after 71 minutes as the defence failed to clear a bouncing ball and Given stuck out his right boot to block Raul's close range effort.

Duff came into his own again and after 79 minutes he again cut in from the right and drilled a low shot just wide of the far post.

McCarthy took his last throw of the die with nine minutes remaining when he took off Harte and put on another striker, in the shape of Wimbledon's Connolly.

There was one more great chance for an equaliser after 84 minutes as Keane tried to loop the ball over Casillas from six yards, but the goalkeeper came out of his goal and made an important block.

We thought it was all over for Ireland, but their amazing never-day-die spirit earned them a deserved equaliser.

Swedish referee Anders Frisk was not a friend of the Irish after he controversially awarded a penalty against Ireland in a Euro 2000 play-off which saw them lose out to Turkey. But this time his brave decision was spot on and Keane calmly placed the ball in the bottom left corner.

It was hearts in the mouth stuff as Ireland dominated extra time against a side who were labouring without strikers Raul and Morientes - taken off by Spain boss Jose Antonio Camacho for tactical reasons with his team leading 1-0. The decision so nearly backfired on him.

First, Quinn nodded down to Keane in the third minute of the second period but he fired wide from the edge of the box.

Three minutes later Given had to push away Baraja's shot, and when Ireland hit back on the counter Connolly shot wide.

The tie went to penalties and it was a massive test of nerve. The players and staff stood with their arms around each other's shoulder by the bench, while those waiting to take penalties did the same in the centre circle.

Keane scored first and Hierro equalised. Holland missed and Baraja scored. Connolly missed and so did Juanfran. Kilbane's effort was saved and Valeron hit the post. Finnan scored to make it 2-2 but Mendieta kept his nerve and stroked home the winner.

Ireland's squad of 22 players deserved their lap of honour, while Spain move on in the tournament to face either Italy or joint hosts South Korea.

The players can hold their heads high when they arrive back home in Dublin on Tuesday afternoon. They came a long way and did their best, with players like Keane, Duff, Holland and Given standing out on the world stage.

No doubt there will be an inquest into the whole campaign once the dust has settled, but whatever the rights and wrongs of the story, Ireland did themselves proud even without that man Roy Keane.

Teams

Subs Not Used: Contreras, Curro Torres, Joaquin, Nadal, Ricardo, Romero, Sergio, Tristan, Xavi.

Booked: Juanfran, Baraja, Hierro.

Goals: Morientes 8.

Rep of Ireland: Given, Gary Kelly (Quinn 55), Staunton (Cunningham 50), Breen, Harte (Connolly 82), Finnan, Kinsella, Holland, Kilbane, Duff, Keane.

Subs Not Used: Carsley, Dunne, Kiely, McAteer, Morrison, O'Brien, Reid, Alan Kelly.

Goals: Keane 90 pen.

Spain win 3-2 on penalties

Att: 38,926

Ref: Anders Frisk (Sweden).