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One giant step for the Irish
Italy 0
Republic of Ireland 1 (Houghton 11)
Attendance: 72,000
Republic of Ireland - Observer special
Patrick Barclay at Giants Stadium
Sunday June 19, 1994
Observer
Where will it all end? After those friendly victories in Holland and
Germany, the Republic of Ireland found serious conflict no less to their
taste and began their World Cup by beating Italy. Soundly.
Ray Houghton's early goal proved the only one of a match in which Ireland's
blanket defence rendered vain all the creative endeavours of Roberto Baggio,
who adorned this marvellous occasion but was not allowed to influence it
because for 90 mins Jack Charlton's sweat-soaked soldiers stayed about as
close as ranks can get.
Though it almost insults their indivisibility to pick out the old sweat
McGrath, I shall do so because he stayed as cool of mind as the air was hot,
and eternally vigilant in snuffing out sources of danger; altogether a more
impressive figure than his fellow 34-year-olds, the creaking Baresi and
Tassotti, at the other end. The newcomer Babb was superb alongside McGrath,
while Irwin demonstrated why Charlton can afford to leave young Gary Kelly
on the bench and Coyne was a durable lone front-runner.
But Ireland were above all a team, and to say that they defended as such,
doing little else, for slightly over half the match ought not to obscure
that they amply deserved to win it. When Sheridan hit the crossbar 18
minutes from the end, indeed, he ought to have added a tension-reliever to
the goal Houghton had clipped home, with great resourcefulness, helping
Ireland to be patient and use their 4-5-1 system to maximum conservative
effect, going forward in rationed bursts.
They are not the youngest of teams here and and have to be careful, but the
back of qualification has been broken in advance of meetings with Mexico in
Orlando on Friday and Norway back here in New Jersey the following Tuesday.
Back home, you might even say yesterday's weather was more suitable for the
growing of tropical plants than shamrocks.
The packed Giants stadium was a fine sight, and overwhelmingly friendly to
the Irish, whose supporters' tricolours were draped all the way round the
balconies on each level. When these countries last clashed in the World Cup,
it was in Rome four years ago, but now the balance of fervour had radically
shifted. Jack's lads must have felt like representatives of the host nation.
And they soon caused jubilation.
Baresi was already looking uncomfortable and his attempts to get the ball
out of danger when Coyne challenged so lacked conviction that Houghton was
able to collect and make almost a full turn before lifting his left-footed
shot over Pagliuca, who had come too far out. Houghton again! The Scots-born
midfielder had launched Ireland's 1988 European Championship campaign with a
headed winner against England in Stuttgart. Now here he was doing the trick,
at 32, not so long after Charlton had been openly doubting his worth to the
side.
Italy always had at least an equal share of possession, almost everything
being channelled through Roberto Baggio, whose silken touches were of a
markedly different material from anything else on the field. Later, Baggio
fed Maldini, whom Keane did extremely well to stop as he prepared to shoot,
and executed a delightfully nimble one-two with Signori to make the opening
for a drive that thumped against the uncannily positioned McGrath.
Signori, at last skipping away from McGrath, had Italy's best chance but
leapt with frustration as it went wide; for a man who had scored 49 goals in
a mere 56 Serie A matches since joining Lazio from Foggia, one might have
expected greater precision.
Before the match some of those Italian critics who are forever looking for
ill omens had groaned at the news that Arrigo Sacchi's front two would be
Baggio and Signori. The last time they played as a partnership Italy
suffered a humiliating practice-defeat by a fourth division side. But Baggio
and Signori were less to blame for Italy's failings here than the
predictability of their midfield and the fragility of their defence. Not to
mention the organisation and resilience of their opponents.
Still, Sacchi decided a shuffle might help and sent on Massaro for the
second half as his main striker with Baggio, moving Signori aside to the
left to produce a formation familiar from the pre-tournament friendlies. But
Italy, as it turned out, were not just different in shape. They increased
their tempo, tried a little adventure and briefly looked the more
penetrative for it. Dino Baggio strode into the Irish penalty area, where
the tackle by Babb that brought him down prompted an appeal, and, from the
Dutch referee, a firm rejection. Roberto Baggio again found a full-blooded
drive thudding against the ubiquitous McGrath.
Just then one realised it had been an awful long time since Ireland
attacked, and wondered if the sustenance of pressure against them had begun
to take a toll of their legs. But it is dangerous even to speculate about
frailty in Ireland when they are in the mood. Almost immediately they poured
forward, Coyne to the fore, the ball breaking off him to Houghton, who made
Pagliuca move sharply to save. Keane then got to the bye line and pulled
back for Sheridan, unmarked, to lean just a little and allow his shot from
eight yards to fly up and kiss the bar on its way over. There were more near
or nearish things around Pagliuca, and the Italians realised it was not to
be their day.
It was the first time Ireland had so much avoided defeat in seven meetings
with them - and the first time in 13 World Cups that Italy have lost their
opening match. The market in rotten tomatoes is expected to move
substantially unless they recover in time for Thursday's encounter with the
Norwegians here.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007
