FROM THE ARCHIVE IRELAND v ITALY, 1990 WORLD CUP QUARTER-FINAL

ONE OF the great adventures in Irish sport came to an end on Saturday night after Salvatore Schillacis goal, struck with all the confidence of a man at the summit of his confidence, had delivered Italy safely through their ordeal in Rome’s Olympic Stadium.

Instead of a trip to Naples for a semi-final appointment with Argentina tomorrow night, Jack Charlton’s squad was homeward bound yesterday but as Dublin opened its heart to them there could be no cause for self-recrimination.

Ireland had performed to the limit of their potential, run until there was nothing more to give, but in the end they just did not have enough players with the requisite class to hold the Italians.

In their going, as in their coming, they had enriched the plot of the championship, however, and as they departed down the tunnel for the last time even the most partisan home supporters in a crowd of 72,000 may have felt a marginal sense of deprivation.

No less than their singing thousands of supporters, the Irish team had made a full contribution to the glamour, excitement of Italia ’90 and in that, small nations everywhere could find solace. And if there had to be heartbreak at the death, this was perhaps, the ideal stage on which to exit.

Italy, in the manner of their heritage, have put together a formidable team for this, their biggest football occasion in more than 50 years. From goalkeeper Walter Zenga right through to the smouldering Schillaci, their’s is a side which, in terms of pure skill, stands apart from all others in the championship finals.

To this imbalance is added the advantage of playing at home and, by extension, the probability of enjoying most of the breaks in 50-50 refereeing decisions.

It would be naive to suggest the frequently eccentric rulings of the Portuguese referee Carlos Vicente Silva was the difference between victory and defeat on Saturday.

What can be said with some justification, however, is his handling of the game was largely responsible for the failure of the Irish to attain real momentum on occasions when the Italians betrayed the signs of a team under pressure.

Time and again, the Irish won the ball cleanly only to see the advantage taken from them by the whistle. Because of the fundamental differences in British-style football and that practised in the rest of Europe, there must inevitably be discrepancies in the interpretation of the rules. But some of what we saw in the game defied comprehension.

Diplomatically, Charlton and his senior players distanced themselves from the criticism which poured down on Silva and his linesmen after the game but privately they fumed over several decisions which are, most charitably, described as debatable.

In fairness, the Italians, too were less than enamoured with the match officials and after the game their manager Azeglio Vicini publicly rebuked them for disallowing Schillacis late strike for what was, at best, a hair-line offside decision.

Those comments recorded, it was another joyful celebration of football with Ireland’s direct, forthright style contrasting with the tightly patterned Italian moves to produce a classic of its kind.

This was, unquestionably, the most difficult of Italy’s five games in the championship to date – and it wasn’t all down to the Irishmen’s fire and brimstone.

For the opening 20 minutes or so, the Irish stroked the ball about with authority and composure, giving the lie to those who had expected them to gear their game to saturated defence and the ability to hit quickly on the break.

Charlton had instructed them to give it a go and they did. Unfortunately, the build-up was never sufficiently sharp to beat a shrewdly deployed defence and when Schillaci scored at a vital stage of the game, just nine minutes before the break, at least some of the lights went out for the Irishmen.

Only the woodwork denied Schillaci a second goal in the 53rd minute but to

their immense credit, the losers still summoned the courage and the conviction to raise their game again in the last quarter.

That was the testimony to perhaps the best prepared team ever to leave the country but for all the pressure welling up around them in the closing minutes Baresi, Ferri and Bergomi held firm at the back and Italy were through to a coveted meeting with the holders, Argentina.

The goal which decided the game was a convincing example of the Italians capacity to capitalise on a mistake a long way removed from Packie Bonner’s posts and for many of us, it was a disturbing repeat of that which undid Ireland in their last loss in Seville in November, 1988.

John Aldridge “showed” for the pass from Kevin Sheedy on the halfway line but instead of moving, he was caught static as de Napoli made the vital interception. With the Irish midfield cover for once scattered, Italy moved the ball swiftly across the park until it arrived with Donadoni, perhaps the night’s outstanding performer, at the angle of the penalty area .

Donadoni checked, came inside and even as the defence scrambled frenetically to recover he released the powerful shot. Bonner slipped, parried, then slipped again as the ball ran loose to Schillaci and the rest was perfection.

Untroubled by Paul McGrath’s lunging tackle, the centre forward looked up, picked his spot and the net fatally bulged. In that moment a difficult task assumed all the dark attributes of the impossible but how the Irish battled.

Bonner was undeniably fortunate when the pace and swerve of Schillaci’s 29-yard shot beat him totally in the air but the ball struck the underside of the crossbar and bounced on the line before being hacked to safety.

Ireland’s moments of menace were few. Niall Quinn, who competed admirably in the air before being replaced by Tony Cascarino, saw his header from a McGrath cross safely held by Zenga in the 25th minute and later McGrath’s long-range shot curved outside a post.

McGrath, identifying Ireland’s defiance on the night, created a half chance for Aldridge as the clock ticked remorselessly on but the centre forward, drained by a night’s unselfish running, could not make the contact before Maldini got in to clear.

On what was always going to be a difficult night in the heat and humidity of the Olympic Stadium, the Irish defence performed nobly. Fears that Mick McCarthy and Kevin Moran would be exposed by the blistering pace of Schillaci and Roberto Baggio were not substantiated for McCarthy was as authoritative as ever and Moran continued his recovery from a modest start to the championship.

Chris Morris again shaded the full back honours over Steve Staunton and that was significant for it enabled the Celtic player to fill the vacant spaces at times when Ray Houghton struggled.

No matter what the remainder of this championship produces there will scarcely be a better midfield formation than that which Charlton sent into action and the point was vividly illustrated yet again here. Houghton was not as effective as in the game with Romania and yet toiled long into the evening in the hope his tireless running would eventually uncover the gap in the opposing defence.

Fittingly, Ireland’s most inventive moments coincided with Kevin Sheedy’s opening flourish. The Everton player, impressively composed on the ball, frequently matched the Italians for skill in that period.

Andy Townsend, too, prospered in this the biggest challenge of his career for if the pattern of the game did not permit him to push forward as often as he might have wished, his skill and strength were always a precious asset.

Inevitably, however, it was McGrath who left the biggest imprint on an eventful evening. McCarthy notwithstanding, his has been the most important contribution of all over the last three weeks and he decorated it here with some marvellous moments when he took on and beat two or three opponents.

If there is a more effective central midfielder in Italy just now he has not been identified and when they come to record the drama of the 14th World Cup Championship, his is the name deserving of a prominent place in the script.

In a sense, McGrath said it all about the Irish in Italia ’90 – now let us push on confidently to Stockholm ’92 and the new challenge of the European Championship.

ITALY: Zenga; Bergomi, Baresi, Fern, Maldini, Donadoni, de Napoli, Giannini, de Agostini, Schillaci, Baggio. Subs: Ancelotti for Giannini (63 mins), Serena for Baggio (71 mins).

IRELAND: Bonner; Morris, Staunton, McCarthy, Moran, McGrath, Houghton, Townsend, Sheedy. Quinn, Aldridge. Subs: Cascarino for Quinn (53 mins), Sheridan for Aldridge (79 mins).

Referee: C Silva Valente (Portugal).