Saturday October 10, 2009 Finished Croke Park
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Play-offs for Ireland after late drama
A last minute goal from Alberto Gilardino earned Italy a 2-2 draw against the Republic of Ireland and booked their place in the World Cup More
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Live Commentary
Time:90'- Republic of Ireland
- Italy
FT And there is the full-time whistle!! Disappointment for Ireland but they have a play-off place but ITALY ARE IN THE WORLD CUP.- 90+2 Lawrence has fouled Bocchetti and that will end Ireland's hopes.
- 90+2 A long ball nearly finds Keane behind the defence but this match is now heading for a draw.
90' ITALY HAVE LEVELLED THE MATCH!!! What drama!!! It was a counter attack move - why were Ireland even attacking - Iaquinta rolls a ball over to Gilardino who guides it into the net after a counter attack move.- 88' If Ireland hang on that means that Italy will have to beat Cyprus in their last qualifier if Ireland can win at home to Montenegro.
- 87' IRELAND HAVE SCORED!!! SURELY THAT'S THE WINNER - It is Sean St Ledger who has come up for a free-kick for the first time in the match. Hunt looped in the free-kick and St Ledger dives in at the back post to head home.
- 86' Zambrotta gentle push down Hunt down the left just near the box - a chance to whip in a good cross.
- 85' 70,670 is the crowd in Croke Park tonight.
- 84' Italy with a free in a dangerous area down the right. It is whipped in an Given comes out to punch but he misses it - luckily for him so did everyone else.
83' Best loses the ball and then lunges into De Rossi and that is a yellow card.- 82' Keane cleary wins the ball on Pirlo with a great tackle but the referee gives a free-kick.
- 81' Decent build-up play from Italy is ended as Iaquinta fires well over the bar.
- 79' Keane heads high and wide after a ball whipped into the box.
78' Ireland make their final change - Aidan McGeady comes off and on comes Stephen Hunt - a crowd favourite the Hull man.- 77' Very good cross from Camoranesi and O'Shea has to make another timely defensive header with Iaquinta at his back.
- 76' Bocchetti and Gilardino are on for Italy and Grosso and Di Natale go off. It is a debut for Genoa man Bocchetti.
- 74' De Rossi tries a shot from well out but he never gets a proper contact on it and he drags it well wide.
- 74' Another Irish corner straight at Buffon though.
- 73' Good strength from Robbie Keane down the left and he wins a corner for his efforts.
- 72' O'Shea's flick nearly finds Lawrence but he just cannot turn onto the ball enough and he bundles the ball wide.
71' Zambrotta is allowed too much space to cut inside from the right and he fires a shot on target and Given has to make a smart save at the near post.- 70' Martin Rowlands is on for Ireland - his first appearance for Ireland in FIVE YEARS. Glenn Whelan goes off suffering from cramp.
- 69' Palombo fires over a sort of cross-shot and it swerves all over the place but wide of the target and also wide of Camoranesi at the back post.
- 68' Best gets his head on the free-kick and then Italy make a bit of a meal of clearing the danger but they do enough.
- 68' De Rossi booked for tugging at McGeady after the Celtic man had flew past him.
- 67' Ireland are making a change - Kevin Doyle goes off and Leon Best comes on - the Coventry man has scored six goals this season.
- 66' Great passing again from Italy and Pirlo's shot has to be blocked on the edge of the area.
- 65' Di Natale chips a ball into the box where Iaquinta was but St Ledger is with him all the way and defends well.
- 63' Lawrence finds Keane in the box but three men swarm around him straight away and clear the danger.
- 62' Italy looking much better on the ball now - the midfield has been Ireland's problem yet again.
- 60' Doyle wins the ball well for Ireland in midfield but then Andrews gives it away straight away.
- 59' O'Shea makes a very good defensive header over the bar while facing goal after a dangerous cross from Iaquinta.
- 58' Dunne gets his head on Lawrence's corner but it is straight at Buffon.
- 58' Keane finds the ball at his feet inside the box but he is crowded out as he tries a shot - but he wins a corner.
- 57' Italy are again having one of those spells where they are looking dangerous.
- 56' Good defending from Dunne as he cuts out a cross from Iaquinta - the ball then goes out off the Italian striker so it is a goal kick.
- 54' Lawrence can only fire it into the wall and then Andrews fires the rebound well over the bar.
- 53' Lawrence fouled in a central position about 30 yards out - a similar position to where he scored against South Africa.
- 52' Lawrence is forced to stretch to make a defensive header and he almost put Grosso free but he gets away with it thanks to some help from John O'Shea.
- 51' Italy clear though and last man St. Ledger has to come in an clear to prevent a counter-attack.
- 50' Good work from Keane down the right after being put away by a long ball from O'Shea - he wins a corner.
- 49' Legrottaglie deals with McGeady's through ball well with Keane lurking.
- 48' O'Shea peels off a group of players and is found with a free-kick but cannot get any power on a header and it loops into the arms of Buffon.
47' From the free-kick Italy put the ball in the next Iaquinta bundles in Chiellini's flick on but he was offside. If he had left it it might have gone in anyway.- 46' Whelan gives away an early free-kick and he has to be careful he is on a yellow card.
46' And we are back underway...- - No changes from either side at half-time.
- - To see what is going on in tonight's other games - check out our World Cup scorecentre. check it out there
- HT And there is the half-time whistle. Great start from Ireland but they have been pegged back. As things stand Italy are going to the World Cup and Ireland to the play-offs.
- 45' We will have one extra minute in this half.
- 45' Pirlo tries a shot from a free from 45 yards out. A rubbish effort that goes well over the bar.
- 44' Keane with a little bicycle kick after McGeady's cross was looped into the air by an Italian head but that harmlessly hits the side netting.
- 43' Doyle gets a header on a free from Lawrence but that goes well wide of the target.
- 42' Whelan gives the ball away cheaply and he is just lucky that Zambrotta ends the attack with a poor cross.
- 41' Kilbane has to head away another chipped ball into the box as Italy start to enjoy a spell of pressure.
- 40' Legrottaglie gets his head on another Italian corner but he puts a poor header into ground - half a chance that!
- 39' Good defending from Zambrotta as he shields the ball away from Kilbane down the left and forces the Irishman to foul him.
- 38' McGeady with a clever little ball accross the edge of the box just goes in between Doyle and Keane and the danger is then cleared.
- 37' De Rossi found onside free down the right - his cross is headed away by O'Shea though.
- 36' Again St Ledger lets a ball bounce when he really should have cleared earlier but again the danger is averted.
- 35' You have to say the Irish could really do with a bit more help from the home fans - it has all gone quite flat inside Croke Park.
- 34' St Ledger with some ropey defending as he kicks the ground while playing a ball out to O'Shea but he gets away with it.
- 33' Glenn Whelan has gone into the book for a tackle on Palombo and that means he will MISS the Montenegro match on Wednesday.
- 32' Ireland playing better since the goal. It seems like they have relaxed now that the burden of being in front is behind them.
- 31' Ireland win a corner but Lawrence puts it straight into the arms of Buffon.
- 30' Doyle side-foots over a little cross but Italy clear before Lawrence can get on the end of it.
- 30' Ireland though having a little spell down the left corner - Italy having trouble clearing their lines.
- 29' Poor corner from McGeady though it fails to beat the first man.
- 28' Nice flick from Keane sends Lawrence down the right - the Stoke man puts in a cross that is turned away for a corner.
- 26' BUT NOW ITALY ARE LEVEL - Camoranesi has headed home Pirlo's corner. The marking really should have been better but it was just started to come.
- 25' The ball drops to Grosso on the edge of the area and he fires a sweet volley - too sweet to be fair as it goes straight at Given but a decent save as it bounced right up on him.
- 24' Definitely signs now of Italy winning the midfield battle and Ireland sitting back a bit.
- 23' Grosso skips his way past Lawrence and then puts in a low cross but the ball goes just in between Camoranesi and De Rossi.
- 22' A free-kick is dinked into the Italian box but Dunne cannot be found with three white shirts around him.
- 21' Shay Given has not had to make a save but there are little signs that Italy are getting back into this.
- 20' Grosso fires a shot but it is straight into the wall.
- 19' Doyle has fouled De Rossi in a dangerous area and that all came after Whelan gave the ball away cheaply.
- 18' Andrews and McGeedy both dink balls into the box that just cannot find an Irish man. McGeedy really should have done better.
- 17' Di Natale with a long hopeless ball into the box. Iaquinta looks like he could do with some help up front.
- 16' Kevin Doyle has to have a little spell off the pitch as he changes a shin-guard.
- 14' Doyle is found in the box he skips by his man but leaves the ball and Italy can clear.
- 13' Italy have a little spell in the Irish half before St Ledger smashes the ball clear.
- 12' Ireland are often accused of sitting back on leads but they are really taking it to Italy at the moment.
- 10' Ireland get another free in a dangerous area - this time on the left. Lawrence whips in a good ball and Italy do not look comfortable dealing with it but they do finally clear.
- 9' Croke Park is rocking after that goal - the two Stoke men combined for the goal.
- 8' WHAT A GOAL FROM GLENN WHELAN!!!! - Lawrence decided to check the ball back to the edge of the area while everyone else waited for a cross and Whelan smashed a strike into the top corner from 30 yards out - WHAT A GOAL.
- 7' Legrottaglie fouls Keane down the right just outside the box - chance for Lawrence to whip in a good cross.
- 6' Chiellini has to be aggressive to deal with Doyle down the right - he puts it out for a throw deep in the Italian half. Where is Rory Delap when you need him?
- 5' Dunne with a heavy challenge on Iaquinta but no booking.
- 4' Scrappy start to the match but Ireland have had more of the play in the early stages.
- 2' It looks like Keith Andrews is going to follow Pirlo around wherever he goes.
- 1' O'Shea has to make a timely interception early on to make sure a ball doesn't creep in behind the Irish defence.
1' Ireland kick us off at Croke Park attacking the Hill 16 end in the first-half. Italy wearing their changed strip of white.- - Before the match kick-offs we are having a minute's silence for the victims of the recent flooding in Sicily.
- - Some internet boffins have been crunching the numbers and apparently Ireland still need one point to guarantee that they will qualify for the play-offs as one of the best eight runners-up.
- - Given and Kevin Kilbane both earn their 99th cap for Ireland tonight. We are just having the anthems now Giovanni Trapattoni has kept his promise and is NOT singing along.to the Italian anthem.
- - Shay Given, Aidan McGeedy, Keith Andrews and Glenn Whelan are all on yellow cards tonight so they need to stay out of the book to avoid suspension.
- - Irish president Mary McAleese is engaging in a bit of hand shaking at the moment as the excitment inside Croke Park builds.
- - The pressure is off Ireland a bit tonight because they are now guaranteed to the finish second in the group as Cyprus have beaten Bulgaria. Matchcast: Cyprus v Bulgaria
- - Ireland missing some players today though with Damien Duff, Darron Gibson, Steven Reid and Caleb Folan all injured.
- - You can see from the line-ups below that Liam Lawrence makes his first competitive start for Ireland. The full Irish team is: Given; O'Shea, Dunne, St Ledger, Kilbane; Lawrence, Whelan, Andrews, McGeady; Doyle, Keane
- - When the two sides met in Bari last April it was a 1-1 draw with Robbie Keane scoring a late equaliser. More on that game here
- - This is a battle between the top two sides in the group and Ireland will move one point behind the Italians with one match remaining if they can win tonight. Group 8 details
- - Welcome to our LIVE coverage of this World Cup qualifier at Croke Park between Ireland and Italy.
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Summary
- 90' ITALY HAVE LEVELLED THE MATCH!!! What drama!!! It was a counter attack move - why were Ireland even attacking - Iaquinta rolls a ball over to Gilardino who guides it into the net after a counter attack move.
- 87' IRELAND HAVE SCORED!!! SURELY THAT'S THE WINNER - It is Sean St Ledger who has come up for a free-kick for the first time in the match. Hunt looped in the free-kick and St Ledger dives in at the back post to head home.
- 71' Zambrotta is allowed too much space to cut inside from the right and he fires a shot on target and Given has to make a smart save at the near post.
- 47' From the free-kick Italy put the ball in the next Iaquinta bundles in Chiellini's flick on but he was offside. If he had left it it might have gone in anyway.
- 26' BUT NOW ITALY ARE LEVEL - Camoranesi has headed home Pirlo's corner. The marking really should have been better but it was just started to come.
- 25' The ball drops to Grosso on the edge of the area and he fires a sweet volley - too sweet to be fair as it goes straight at Given but a decent save as it bounced right up on him.
- 8' WHAT A GOAL FROM GLENN WHELAN!!!! - Lawrence decided to check the ball back to the edge of the area while everyone else waited for a cross and Whelan smashed a strike into the top corner from 30 yards out - WHAT A GOAL.
Team lineup & ratings
Republic of Ireland
Manager: Giovanni Trapattoni
Captain: Robbie Keane
ItalyManager: Marcello Lippi
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Lineup
Live Team Line-Up
Republic of Ireland
Manager: Giovanni Trapattoni
Captain: Robbie Keane
Starting line-up
- S. Given
- J. O'Shea
- R. Dunne
- S. St Ledger
- K. Kilbane
- K. Andrews
- G. Whelan
- L. Lawrence
- A. McGeady
- R. Keane
- K. Doyle
Subs
- S. Hunt
78′ - L. Best 67′
- E. Nolan
- N. Hunt
- K. Westwood
- M. Rowlands 70′
- P. McShane
- Italy
Manager: Marcello Lippi
Starting line-up
- G. Buffon
- G. Zambrotta
- G. Chiellini
- N. Legrottaglie
- F. Grosso
- D. De Rossi
- A. Palombo
- M. Camoranesi
- A. Pirlo
- A. Di Natale
- V. Iaquinta
Subs
- A. Gamberini
- G. D'Agostino
- A. Gilardino 76′
- S. Pepe 89′
- F. Marchetti
- S. Bocchetti 76′
- G. Gattuso
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Rate Players
TO BE HONEST i dont care how much u think italy cheats because u are jelous that england only have.......1 star on their shirt and itlay have ermmmm...................... 4 ahahahaha forza azzurri!!!!
last comment....YAWN ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ its getting boring
Oh Italy we need yous at the world cup because yous are the worlds biggest cheats and we love to hate yous!
Italy invented cheating and cultivates it to this day.
They always cheat to win just like the cheating against Australia and France in thelast WC.
Diving and Verbal abuse oh Italy yous are weak weak weak CHEATS of THE WORLD.
bravo italia ! iti doresc sa devii campiona mondiala
Awwww how gooooood are we (Italy)! Always find something when we arent playing well.
Lets call a spade a spade. Italy wud have prob gone thru regardless of tonight. Theyre so bad england may even beat them... joke : D well not really... Anyway i hope we reallly get behind our team. So bring on russia or if were lucky greece
st ledger on loan to boro from a boro fan dont sign on perm deal u will ruin ur career
we won £60 on the draw!!!!! you crazy b*****ds
What a surprise :)
I'm french and i can see a FRANCE - IRELAND game for the Play-off
Congratulations to the Republic of Ireland Soccer Supporters Club ( London )
On Its 25th Anniversary 1984 - 2009 Still On The One Road ! Slainte !And to Italy - good luck ! We'll see them again in South Africa !
I've only one question for the Ref: - WHY DIDN'T HE PLAY FERGIE TIME ????????????
Night all !
Danedoherty: Small World - 44 -home last summer - brillant and had a couple of nights out in Buncrana but need to brush up on my Polish (Ha! Ha! Ha1) - disappointed tonite - but suppose there is always the Play-offs ! May run into each other and have a pint and a chat about tonite - gotta shut this thing down now ! C ya !
ITID !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Trappattoni is one of the best soccer coach in the WORLD. YOU Irish should learn from him. Forza ITALIA.
i think the ref was alright lads , this is not rugby , its football mate
:D:D:D::D:DD:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
gilardinooooooooooooo forza azzurri...and to the world cup...good game for ireland and good luck at the playoffs.. ireland deserve a place in the world cup... Forza Italia
Italy is shaped like a boot to kick your a.. Don't forget we are 4 times WORLD CHAMPIONS. FORZA AZZURRI SIAMO FORTI e VIVA ITALIA
Well done Italia!!!! Great to see you in the finals even though you were pretty poor. As for Ireland, get back to what you are good at, putting teams under pressure and playing with heart and soul! I'm not sure what Trappatoni brings to your game but it's obviously not enough. You were poor tonight and I wasn't surprised to se you score so late but still fail to secure the win.
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