Ireland no longer painting by numbers as fear factor of Ireland returns

Nothing tangible to take from an international friendly draw with world number one-ranked side Belgium, yet a performance perhaps priceless as the Irish footballing renaissance continues to take shape under manager Stephen Kenny.

A stark contrast to the situation 12 months prior, when Luxembourg almost stopped this terrible beauty from being born, as the under-pressure manager was fighting for his future following the home defeat.

But the bigger picture is becoming much clearer with every game, and while it remains to be seen if this work-in-progress yields a masterpiece, it is certainly offering an appreciation to a growing audience.

Fifty-odd thousand impressionable enthusiasts were in attendance as the perceived world's best came to take on this emerging Ireland side, and while Belgium left some of their more priceless possessions at home for this international exhibition, they were still expected to have too much quality to be overly troubled.

Kenny vowed to attempt to take the game to the very important visitors, and he was true to his word as he named an attack-minded unit full of energy with a three-man forward line causing problems from the outset.

A goal out of nothing, but a Michy Batshuayi brushstroke of genius to open the scoring, as the Chelsea forward, currently on loan at Besiktas, curled a sublime effort home from distance.

With only 12 minutes on the clock, it was far from a fatal blow, but one that certainly stunned the home side, who then struggled to get back into the game with the Belgian quality keeping possession without difficulty.

But Ireland did eventually get work their way back into the contest and finished the half in the ascendancy, as player of the match Chiedozie Ogbene restored parity and