A late equaliser from Robbie Keane gave Republic of Ireland a 1-1 World Cup qualifying Group 8 draw against 10-man Italy in Bari. More
90+5 Italy hold on! A really exciting match there and a good, battling comeback from the Irish against a resolute Italy side. A draw is a fair result given Italy's circumstance and Giovanni Trapattoni's unbeatent competitive run with the Irish continues!
90+5 Ball through the middle and Keane is in with Cannavaro and Chiellini flying in too and it spins inches over!
90+3 The corner is swung over and Italy don't deal with it AND IT BOUNCES AROUND LIKE A PINBALL BUT DEFLECTS OFF AN ITALY SHIRT OVER BUFFON AND OUT FOR A CORNER! Ita;y are clinging on!
90+2 Ireland pounding the Italy box now, the hosts failed to clear AND STEPHEN HUNT WITH THE SHOT BUT DEFLECTED OVER! What a chance! Corner!
89' Given launches it long and Folan rises in the box with a brilliant flick-on to the right AND KEANE LATCHES ON TO THE BALL AND HE DRILLS IT INTO THE BOTTOM RIGHT FOR 1-1!! KEANE SAVES IRELAND!!
85' Ireland counter, slipped through to Keane in the box, he plays it back to Kilbane who shoots but tipped over! Corner!
84' Italy break, they have men over as Iaquinta races down the right, he has pace to burn and drills it low for Dossena sliding in but just nicked away from him!
83' Whelan is taken down by Chiellini on the edge of the box, terrible challenge but play on! Keane is in and he drills it back but away for a throw. How that was not a free-kick I will never know, there was barely an advantage.
81' De Rossi is now booked for sliding in on Hunt, he got the ball, again that was harsh. This ref is losing control of the game, dishing out cards for very little.
75' McShane loses his head after getting booked, it seems Iaquinta was fouling him but he was penalised. Daft all round. Free-kick sent far post but no-one is there.
67' Hunt trots down the right and wins a free-kick off Grosso who is booked rather harshly.
62' Noel Hunt on for Doyle.
57' Ireland have the ball in the Italy box, Doyle holds it up and knocks it wide for Hunt who touches it past Buffon but it's going out and Buffon flies across to take Hunt out, he wants a penalty but the ball was dead anyway so nothing given. Risky from Buffon though.
56' ITALY SUB: De Rossi on for Pepe.
55' IRELAND SUB: Darron Gibson is on for Andrews.
46' ITALY SUB: Palombo has come on for Pirlo at the break, interesting as Pirlo was playing well and creating chances.
46' Second half underway!
45+2 Half-time and 1-0 to Italy, who are down to 10 men.
41' Ireland counter and Hunt has the ball on the edge of the box, he takes a touch and half-volleys towards goal and it dips at the last for Buffon to tip it over! Corner Ireland! Great effort by Hunt.
33' Italy come forward as Pirlo plays it to Grosso who is surely offside but the flag is down and he lofts a great ball in for Iaquinta which Given tips away but it drops to PEPE AT THE FAR POST but side netting! The angle was very tight but Ireland again escape.
21' IRELAND SUB: Folan comes on for Keogh.
16' Hunt on the ball, he races down the left and gets in the box and a heavy challenge from Chiellini but no penalty! That looked like a push but play on says the ref!
10' Good ball clipped over the top by Pirlo, Grosso gets in down the left, Ireland are standing off Italy here, he hits the byline and drills it low to the edge of the six-yard box and IAQUINTA IS THERE TO FLICK IT PAST GIVEN FOR 1-0!! Terrible defending from Ireland, they were just carved apart there, with McShane particularly culpable in failing to challenge Grosso.
6' O'Shea is led off for treatment but I think that red was very very harsh. Contact was made but the ref has done the Italians there. Cannavaro was booked for protesting.
4' Pazzini is sent off! Disaster for Italy! It was a nothing challenge with O'Shea, who went down clutching his head. O'Shea has a cut above his eye, it seems the ref felt Pazzini led with the elbow but that looked harsh. His arm was barely raised and there was no elbow.
1' Match underway!| Italy | Stats | Republic of Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| 34% | Possession | 65% |
| 2 | Shots | 12 |
| 1 | Shots on target | 3 |
| 1 | Saves | 0 |
| 1 | Corners | 10 |
| 21 | Fouls | 13 |
| 4 | Offsides | 2 |
| 3 | Yellow cards | 1 |
| 1 | Red cards | 0 |
| 17 | Tackles | 22 |
| 191 | Accurate passes | 404 |
| 48 | Bad passes | 45 |
| G | S | SoT | F | FW | O | A | AP | BP | T | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gianluigi Buffon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | Fabio Grosso | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 12 | 5 |
| 2 | Gianluca Zambrotta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | Giorgio Chiellini | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 | Fabio Cannavaro | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | Daniele De Rossi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 7 | 2 |
| 8 | Matteo Brighi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 5 | 4 |
| 10 | Andrea Pirlo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 10 | 1 |
| 11 | Vincenzo Iaquinta | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 5 | 0 |
| 7 | Simone Pepe | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 1 |
| 9 | Giampaolo Pazzini | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Alessandro Gamberini | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Marco Amelia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Giuseppe Rossi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Marco Motta | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Andrea Dossena | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Angelo Palombo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Fabio Quagliarella | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| G | S | SoT | F | FW | O | A | AP | BP | T | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shay Given | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Paul McShane | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | John O'Shea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 2 | 4 |
| 5 | Richard Dunne | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 2 | 1 |
| 6 | Glenn Whelan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 8 | 5 |
| 3 | Kevin Kilbane | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 10 | 2 |
| 11 | Stephen Hunt | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | Keith Andrews | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 7 | 3 |
| 9 | Kevin Doyle | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| 10 | Robbie Keane | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 5 | 1 |
| 7 | Andrew Keogh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | Stephen Kelly | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Darron Gibson | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | Liam Miller | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Dean Kiely | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Kevin Foley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Caleb Folan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Noel Hunt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
90+5 Ball through the middle and Keane is in with Cannavaro and Chiellini flying in too and it spins inches over!
90+3 The corner is swung over and Italy don't deal with it AND IT BOUNCES AROUND LIKE A PINBALL BUT DEFLECTS OFF AN ITALY SHIRT OVER BUFFON AND OUT FOR A CORNER! Ita;y are clinging on!
90+2 Ireland pounding the Italy box now, the hosts failed to clear AND STEPHEN HUNT WITH THE SHOT BUT DEFLECTED OVER! What a chance! Corner!
89' Given launches it long and Folan rises in the box with a brilliant flick-on to the right AND KEANE LATCHES ON TO THE BALL AND HE DRILLS IT INTO THE BOTTOM RIGHT FOR 1-1!! KEANE SAVES IRELAND!!
85' Ireland counter, slipped through to Keane in the box, he plays it back to Kilbane who shoots but tipped over! Corner!
84' Italy break, they have men over as Iaquinta races down the right, he has pace to burn and drills it low for Dossena sliding in but just nicked away from him!
83' Whelan is taken down by Chiellini on the edge of the box, terrible challenge but play on! Keane is in and he drills it back but away for a throw. How that was not a free-kick I will never know, there was barely an advantage.
57' Ireland have the ball in the Italy box, Doyle holds it up and knocks it wide for Hunt who touches it past Buffon but it's going out and Buffon flies across to take Hunt out, he wants a penalty but the ball was dead anyway so nothing given. Risky from Buffon though.
41' Ireland counter and Hunt has the ball on the edge of the box, he takes a touch and half-volleys towards goal and it dips at the last for Buffon to tip it over! Corner Ireland! Great effort by Hunt.
33' Italy come forward as Pirlo plays it to Grosso who is surely offside but the flag is down and he lofts a great ball in for Iaquinta which Given tips away but it drops to PEPE AT THE FAR POST but side netting! The angle was very tight but Ireland again escape.
16' Hunt on the ball, he races down the left and gets in the box and a heavy challenge from Chiellini but no penalty! That looked like a push but play on says the ref!
10' Good ball clipped over the top by Pirlo, Grosso gets in down the left, Ireland are standing off Italy here, he hits the byline and drills it low to the edge of the six-yard box and IAQUINTA IS THERE TO FLICK IT PAST GIVEN FOR 1-0!! Terrible defending from Ireland, they were just carved apart there, with McShane particularly culpable in failing to challenge Grosso.
4' Pazzini is sent off! Disaster for Italy! It was a nothing challenge with O'Shea, who went down clutching his head. O'Shea has a cut above his eye, it seems the ref felt Pazzini led with the elbow but that looked harsh. His arm was barely raised and there was no elbow.There is no formation available for this game