Truly, it was a momentous, sporting occasion. There, on Network 2, in real, not-so-live monochrome was indisputable evidence for the current generation that Eamon Dunphy did, in fact, play for the Republic of Ireland.
Furthermore, there was proof for the sceptics that he can't have been all that bad at it, when no less a figure than John Giles, Eamo's footballing idol, was seen to pass him the ball.
Deep from the Montrose archives, RT╔ unearthed a videotape of Ireland's historic World Cup play-off defeat by Spain in Paris, exactly 36 years previously, on November 10th, 1965. Indeed as a callow youth, Master Dunphy had gained the distinction of giving York City its first current international.
Commentary of a match which was actually reported for this newspaper by the then golf correspondent, Paul MacWeeney, was by the inimitable Philip Greene. After these treasures, the victory over Iran became a splendid bonus.
Saturday's match was one of those occasions when television generally proves to be a poor substitute for the real thing. Granted, in terms of close-to-the action detail, the scope of the cameras can't be matched.
This was certainly true, for instance, of the climactic stages of the 1986 US Masters at Augusta National. But what would the comfortable TV viewer have given to be in the crowd around Amen Corner as 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus was making a breathtaking surge to his sixth Masters triumph?
There are other occasions, however, when the RT╔ telecast becomes priceless. I was covering the US Open at Oakmont, Pennsylvania, in 1994, when the Republic achieved that stunning World Cup triumph over Italy. And in the circumstances, I was more than happy to settle for decidedly patchy coverage from some local station.
But when it was all over, I became aware of a dreadful void. In the absence of the expert voices and faces familiar to me over the years, I felt the need of some tangible link with home. So I phoned a friend in Dublin to get his view on what had happened and to exchange post-match analyses.
Against that background, a premier seat at Saturday's match, where every nuance of the changing atmosphere could be absorbed, was to be greatly prized. For us homebirds, however, it has to be said that RT╔ handled the occasion wonderfully well, down to the editor, Ryle Nugent, and producer Stephen Alkin.
Indeed it was a delight to savour an occasion when everything went right, including the result. Even TV's great triumvirate of soccer punditry (which, incidentally, makes Eamo a triumvir, among other things), Dunphy, Giles and Liam Brady, were agreed in their pre-match assertions that the Irish would score no more than two goals.
As it happened, Giles seemed to have written the script for the first half by predicting that "these fellows (Iran) won't be drawn out" and much would depend on how successful the Irish were in breaking down the ball in and around the penalty area. "If they can match Niall Quinn in the air, we've got a problem," he warned.
Then, regarding the managerial achievements of Mick McCarthy, we had Dunphy admitting: "I didn't fancy him at the start; I didn't fancy him 18 months ago. But I was wrong."
One of the great joys of a show which extended to more than three hours was a pre-match interview by Darragh Maloney with everybody's hero from umpteen battles, Paul McGrath. And the great man, who is an avowed Robbie Keane fan, looked fit enough to step once more into the breach. When asked if he missed occasions like this, McGrath, typically honest, replied: "Of course I do. Jeez, if I could put on my boots now and sneak in there, I'd love to . . ."
In that moment, one was reminded of the poignant truism that sportsmen have to face two deaths, a competitive one and a natural one.
As the match progressed, the pundits were seen to be correct in most of their predictions. "If they make a break we could be in trouble," said Giles at half time, by way of signposting the prospectively ruinous sallies by Karimi. And when it was all over, the script had been followed so closely that they didn't consider it necessary to bask in their combined wisdom.
"There's a kind of anti-climactic air here," suggested Bill O'Herlihy. To which Dunphy, by way of reply, borrowed the words of his new-found hero, McCarthy. "There's nothing to be ecstatic about," said Eamo, looking towards Thursday 's assignment in Tehran. "It's half-time and we're had to work extremely hard."
Still, Giles wrapped things up on a distinctly optimistic note. "The main thing is that we have a two-goal lead and a two-goal lead is a lot, if you use it properly," said the wise one. And on this occasion, there wasn't time to pass to Dunphy.
On Sky Sports 1 yesterday, the Irish performance prompted some generous comments from David Pleat, the respected Spurs coach.
Highlighting the contribution of Quinn, Pleat said: "The Iranians now know that its dangerous to sit deep against the Irish. I don't know how much they will have learned from that for the second game, but it will be fascinating - one certain to make good television."
Pleat went on to echo the words of Giles regarding the second Irish goal, where Robbie Keane gave a master-class in controlling a high volley. "That little step back which allows you to get over the ball is what it's all about," he said, sagely.
He then made the fascinating observation: "Given the size of the country, the Irish seem to produce so many good players that come over here (to England) and do well. Whether it's the hunger, coming from a difficult environment and appreciating the opportunities that's given them in this country, I don't know. "
From this, we can take it that Pleat never heard of the Celtic Tiger. Then again, his assessment could have been based on all the gloomy economic news of the last week.
