Five-star Ireland blitz San Marino

Republic of Ireland manager Steve Staunton's unwanted run of five matches without a victory finally came to an end in emphatic style with a 5-0 win over San Marino in this Euro 2008 qualifier.

Staunton started his reign earlier in the year with a 3-0 thumping of Sweden, but since then little has gone right for the 37-year-old.

Captain Robbie Keane took his all-time leading goalscorer's tally to 28 with a hat-trick and the Tottenham striker was joined on the score sheet by Kevin Doyle, the Reading forward netting the first for his country on his fifth appearance, with the easy win initiated by Andy Reid's early goal.

While the scoreline failed to match the 13-0 and 7-0 hidings handed out to San Marino by Germany and the Czech Republic in their first two Group D matches, at least Ireland have a win under their belt.

And the fans had to to wait just six minutes for the opening goal as Reid's left-foot 20-yard free kick struck Simoncini on the forehead, with the ball deflecting past wrong-footed goalkeeper Federico Valentini although Reid was later credited with the goal.

After Keane had planted a 12-yard header narrowly wide from a Kevin Kilbane cross, Ireland added their second in the 24th minute, with the moment the 23-year-old Doyle had been waiting for.

Kilbane was the supplier from the left, with Doyle's header crossing the line off the underside of the crossbar after looping over the outstretched grasp of Valentini.

Kilbane then proceeded to waste two headed opportunities before crossing to an all-alone Keane who initially chested the ball down before side footing past Valentini to net his first of the night.

A slow start to the second-half was eventually punctuated in the 58th minute, with Keane sending Valentini the wrong way from the spot after Paul McShane had been upended in the area by Simone Bacciocchi.

Again a further lull followed, with McShane going close with a header in the 70th minute before Keane completed his three-goal haul in the 85th minute as Reid delivered a precise ball from the left into the heart of the area where Keane stooped low to head home from four yards.