Euro 2016 Group E: Republic of Ireland 1-0 Italy
THE hero did arrive and right on time. Robbie Brady scored an unforgettable late goal as the Republic of Ireland beat Italy and made it through to a last 16 meeting with hosts France in a nerve-jangling, nail-biting thriller in Lille last night.
After the doom and gloom that followed the loss to Belgium this was a fully-deserved win. The Republic dominated a disjointed Italy side from start to finish and when Brady rose to head in a Wes Hoolahan cross with less than five minutes left the stadium erupted in unbridled joy.
From the start the Republic cast off the shackles of Bordeaux and played with the ambition they showed in their opener against Sweden. Once again they should have been ahead at half-time. Jeff Hendrick sent a rasping drive just wide early on and then Shane Duffy went close twice from Brady crosses.
James McClean, like Duffy making his first start of the tournament, was denied a blatant penalty late in the half when he was barged in the back by Federico Bernardeschi as he shaped to shoot just inside the Italy box.
The tone for a physical first half was set from the whistle – tackles rained in. Seamus Coleman left his mark on Mattia De Sciglio, Simone Zaza did the same on Stephen Ward and McClean’s crunching tackle sent Bernardeschi crashing down in a heap.
The Republic played in the Italy half of the field with much more energy than they showed on Saturday and gave the Italian midfield no time to settle. The first chance came when Richard Keogh’s first-time clearance was flicked on by Daryl Murphy. The dashing Hendrick picked the ball up and smashed a left-foot shot that fizzed past the post with the ’keeper diving full-length to his right.
Hendrick was full of running and playing round the edge of the Italy box and Murphy was proving a real handful for the Italy defence. Meanwhile. the Republic’s defence were obviously under instructions not to dwell on the ball and they wasted no time putting their foot through it and the incessant pressure paid off when Fiorentina winger Bernardeschi’s mistake resulted in the Republic’s first corner after 20 minutes.
Brady swung the ball in to Duffy – they’ve been rehearsing for years – and the Blackburn Rovers centrehalf met it with a thumping header that needed a finger-tip save from Salvatore Sirigu to keep it out. Brady, playing in midfield, kept things calm and kept the ball moving and when Ward chopped down on left another Brady propelled another free-kick into the box which Andrea Barzagli did brilliantly to clear. Italy were just doing enough but it was oneway traffic and after James McCarthy won the ball in midfield Brady scampered clear and found McClean who forced another corner.
Again Italy scrambled it away but their goal was living a charmed life and, though Duffy again went close, the Group E winners limped to the break with the stalemate unbroken.
Italy looked more solid early in the second half and Zaza sent a rasping volley over the bar from De Sciglio’s cross. But the Republic kept pressing and Murphy muscled his way onto a Keogh clearance. He smashed a shot across goal, that Sirigu punched clear. Coleman, an increasing threat as the second half progressed, raced onto it but his shot charged down by Angelo Ogbonna.
While the Republic were full of vigour and verve, Italy were playing like they’d been out the night before. Their touch was heavy, passing sloppy and movement laboured and manager Antonio Conte was pulling his wellconditioned hair out on the sideline as Alessandro Florenzi gave a hopeless pass to no-one in particular. It was typical of their performance and McClean and substitute Aiden McGeady both had shots that flew offtarget.
The Italians were holding out and their own sub Lorenzo Insigne showed there was still life in them when he cut in from left and sent a curling shot cannoning off the outside of Darren Randolph’s post. Still the Republic retained their composure and, then, the game was handed to them – gift wrapped by Italy skipper Leonardo Bonucci who lost the ball in his own box.
The referee didn’t buy his attempt to win a free-kick and Hoolahan, just on the field after replacing McCarthy, ran unchallenged into the box. He had Shane Long to his left but could only shoot tamely at Sirigu with the goal at his mercy. But he made amends just seconds later and this time it was Sirigu who made the mistake.
The PSG goalkeeper came off his line for a Hoolahan cross he never looked likely to get and Brady nipped in to head the ball into an empty net. What a moment.
It was the least the Republic and their fans deserved and now they look forward to taking on the hosts. They owe France one of course and who knows what’s coming next in Lyon on Sunday?
