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IZUMO, Japan (AP) -- Ireland is not only up against a fast, strong team when it takes on Cameroon in its opening World Cup match Saturday. It also faces the challenge of re-inventing itself on short order after the tumultuous departure of its only star, Roy Keane, who was sent home last week after an obscenity-laced tirade against Coach Mick McCarthy. "We're missing our best player in Roy, and obviously that's disappointing," said Matt Holland, who along with fellow midfielder Mark Kinsella will be asked to help fill the gaping hole left by Keane. "There's pressure on myself and Mark to perform in the World Cup." In Cameroon, the reigning African champion, Ireland faces what could be its toughest opponent in Group E. Their flashy offense will surely press Ireland's stingy defense, anchored by goalkeeper Shay Given and veteran Stephen Staunton. "They're very strong and physical. Lots of diagonal balls," said Holland, who plays for Ipswich. "That will certainly make life very difficult. It's going to be a tough game." Up front, McCarthy is probably going to rely on young, speedy strikers Damien Duff and Robbie Keane to counter Cameroon's high-powered offense. Come Saturday in Niigata, the Irish will find out if they have been able to put behind them all the off-the-field distractions. For nearly a week after McCarthy dismissed Keane, it seemed he might rejoin the team in Japan, but the critical apology from Keane never came. Not exactly an ideal buildup to Ireland's first World Cup game in eight years. Duff bluntly described his experience so far as "not nice." "It's supposed to be a great experience in our lives, but the last couple weeks haven't been nice with what's gone on," the 23-year-old forward said. "Hopefully we can get on with things." Ireland won its last World Cup opener, shocking Italy 1-0 in 1994. That year, it got to the second round before losing to the Netherlands. Four years earlier, in its first World Cup, Ireland stunned the world by getting as far as the quarterfinals, where it lost to Italy. Despite all the turmoil over Roy Keane, McCarthy says he's pleased with his players' attitudes and workouts this week in Izumo, a farming town 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Hiroshima. "They've been focused on what they're doing," he said. "I can't complement them enough." Cameroon isn't taking Ireland any more lightly without Keane. In fact, his absence could strengthen the resolve and unity of the Irish team, says Cameroon defender Lucien Mettomo. For its part, Cameroon has also had a somewhat rocky build-up to the World Cup. A pay dispute and air travel delays caused the team to arrive five days late in Japan. The two teams have never played each other before. Even though Cameroon may come at Ireland with a 3-5-2 formation, McCarthy says he's sticking with the 4-4-2 that got his team through a tough qualifying run in which they knocked out the mighty Dutch team. "We qualified playing 4-4-2 against everything," McCarthy said. "We played wonderfully well.... Why do it differently? That suits us. We're a good team when we play that way." McCarthy is also pleased that a midfielder Jason McAteer, who injured his knee last week in a warm-up game, seems to be healthy. A knee injury to Kinsella, another key midfielder, also seems to be clearing up. On Thursday, FIFA rejected an appeal by the Irish squad to replace Keane's spot on the 23-man roster with Colin Healy, a midfielder who plays for Coventry City in England's Premier League, because Keane's departure was not injury related. Germany and Saudi Arabia are the other teams in Group E.
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