In the giddy aftermath of yesterday's win, many proclaimed it the greatest night in Irish football history.
Immediate comparisons were drawn with the Houghton goals in 1988 and 1994. And the Brady goal, unlike the two Houghton's strikes, came late in the game, giving it more of a golden goal-esque vibe. Others countered that the opponents were weakened by their own comfortable position in the group.
Either way, it resides high up in the pantheon of the most important goals that Ireland have scored in major competitions.
It is only Ireland's fourth win in a major competition
Lille joins Stuttgart and the Giants Stadium in New Jersey in the Irish football Hall of Fame. Of course, poor old Yokohama never gets a look-in in these compilations. It's almost as if people have discounted the Saudi Arabians as too useless to be taken seriously.
Robbie Brady is the twelfth man to score for Ireland in a major competition
And the fifth to score in a European championship. For the record the previous eleven are - Ray Houghton, Ronnie Whelan, Kevin Sheedy, Niall Quinn, John Aldridge, Matt Holland, Robbie Keane, Gary Breen, Damien Duff, Sean St. Leger, Wes Hoolahan.
50% of Ireland's wins in major tournaments have come against Italy
We're now two apiece against the Italians in four games in major competitions. Losses in the 1990 quarter-final and the final group game in the miserable Euro 2012 have been offset by USA 94 and Euro 2016.
Ireland have played Italy more than other team in major competition. The title was once owned by Holland, whom we faced in every tournament we reached in the Charlton era.
Ronald Koeman and Frank Rijkaard played in all three of those games, still holding the record for having played against Ireland the most in major tournaments.
We haven't met them in a tournament since 199. Indeed, in two out of the three we have played in since then, the Dutch didn't qualify.
Ireland's record in major tournaments now reads - Won 4 Drawn 10 Lost 8
Our win/loss ratio in big summer competitions had looked rather respectable until the loss column was beefed up at Euro 2012.
We naturally have a bank of draws built up from Italia 90 and Korea/Japan 2002.
The first time Ireland have scored a second-half winner in a major competition
One thing that Brady's goal has above the goals of Houghton is the late hour at which the goal arrived. Houghton's winners against England and Italy arrived early in both games. There wasn't that same desperate scramble for a goal when Houghton hit the net.
It is the third latest goal Ireland have struck in major tournaments, after Robbie Keane's goals against Germany and Spain.
And, for the benefit of the superstitious, last night marked the first time Ireland had ever won a major championship match... in white
Out of 22 major tournament games thus far, Ireland have played 12 in green and 10 in white. Their record in green has been far superior.
They've won three, lost three and drawn six.
In the white strip, they've now won one, drawn four and lost five.
Read more: Watch: Ireland Fans Absolutely Lose Their Minds On CCTV As Robbie Brady Scores Against Italy
