France loses. Ireland does a jig.

• Thierry Henry-Irish enemy #1.

So France lost to South Africa today. Then apparently French head coach Raymond Domenech refused to shake hands with South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, according to ITV and this Guardian play-by-play.

Sadly this win was not enough to keep South Africa in, but a victory celebrated almost everywhere, nonetheless (Read this about the French team—if you think soccer is about sports, think again). Especially in Ireland, who were shut out of the World Cup in November after they lost to France. According to reports French striker-star Thierry Henry slapped a ball twice with his hand, then passed it to a teammate for an overtime goal. Fans were maaaad, the Football Association of Ireland demanded a video replay which FIFA refused. Here come the conspiracy theories (“‘Oui’ were robbed” is an awesome headline). Even Henry came clean afterwards, shrugging it off because the ref didn’t call it.

It’ll be quiet in the cafes tonight.

This article appears in Jun 17-23, 2010.