The Republic of Ireland’s never-say-die mentality has finally paid off.
Even when another early exit from a UEFA European Championship seemed unavoidable, the Republic of Ireland refused to concede.
A late goal from Robbie Brady was enough for them to beat a reshuffled Italy side 1-0 on Wednesday and advance to the knockout stages for the first time as one of the best third-placed teams.
“It was very special. I am thrilled, it was a great win,” Republic of Ireland coach Martin O’Neill said. “We deserved to win. We played some phenomenal stuff. There was not a player in the Irish shirt that did not play heroically.”
Ireland’s reward is a match against France in Lyon on Sunday that is surely to resonate for the Republic of Ireland’s passionate fans as it is likely to revive memories of the last time the two sides met in November 2009, in a two-legged playoff for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The aggregate score was 1-1 when the return match went into extra-time at Stade de France. In a notorious incident, France striker Thierry Henry used his left arm and hand to control the ball and then pass to William Gallas, who scored the decisive goal.
Italy, who were already assured of top spot in Group E after two straight wins, are to meet defending champions Spain next at the Stade de France on Monday in what is potentially the most mouth-watering match of the round-of-16.
Brady’s 85th minute goal was just reward for an inspired performance by the Republic of Ireland team, which needed to win to get through to the next round. His goal capped a period of intense pressure that also saw Wes Hoolahan miss a golden chance to put his side ahead.
“It is a proud night for myself and fantastic for the team,” Brady said. “The lads worked their socks off today. It was the perfect timing for a goal.”
Spurred on by their passionate green-clad fans, the Republic of Ireland tried to drag Italy into a physical battle from the opening whistle. In the first few minutes, there were some crunching tackles, most notably when Jeff Hendrick hit Alessandro Florenzi with a flying tackle.
Weakened by the absence of injured striker Jon Walters, the Republic of Ireland missed two clear chances to take the lead in the first half. Hendrick sent a long-range shot just wide and Daryl Murphy saw his header off a corner saved by goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu. Italy’s only first-half attempt came two minutes before halftime when Ciro Immobile’s long-range curler went wide.
While the Republic of Ireland searched for a winner, Italy found some fluency in the second half. Simone Zaza went close with a powerful volley that flew just over the cross bar, and substitute Lorenzo Insigne hit the far post with a curling low shot from outside the area.
“We conceded the goal just as we seemed to take control of the game,” Insigne said. “The result is a shame, but in the end, they deserved it.”
Ahead of the next round, Italy coach Antonio Conte had left eight regular starters out of his lineup, including goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who has been suffering from a fever over the past few days. Only defenders Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci as well as midfielder Alessandro Florenzi started in Italy’s previous game against Sweden.
“We conceded when we were on top,” Conte said through an interpreter. “It was a very physical match on a barely playable pitch. The pitch did punish us a bit more than them.”
The pitch at the Stade Pierre Mauroy is to be relaid over the coming days, largely because of the impact of recent heavy rain.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later