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Teams:

Italy: Buffon; Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Chiellini, Grosso; Brighi, Pirlo, De Rossi; Pepe, Pazzini, Iaquinta.

Ireland: Given; McShane, Dunne. O'Shea, Kilbane; Keogh, Whelan, Andrews, Hunt; Doyle, Keane.

Ref: Wolfgang Stark

Preamble:

"You'll never beat the Irish" goes the celebrated chant and the unspoken flip-side of that has usually been "and the Irish probably won't beat you". At least when we're playing away. Decent draws have been earned, but not since February 1987 have Ireland toppled an above-average side on their own patch (*note to younger readers: that was a 1-0 win over Scotland at Hampden. **additional note to younger readers: yes, Scotland were an above-average side back then) and there are, as a confused friend of mine put it this morning, "two chances of that run ending tonight: No chance and Bob Chance." Not that Giovanni Trapattoni will be particularly ambitious in his attempt to beat the world champions: Trap, unlike fabled cockles-and-mussles pedlar Molly Malone, will surely only set his stall out for a draw. And that would be a fine result. Of course, for that feat to be achieved, and unseemly pining for Andy Reid to be avoided, Andy Keogh will probably have to have the game of his life. As will Glenn Whelan. And Stephen Hunt. And even Keith Andrews, who is probably the most accomplished of the Irish midfielders in action tonight (emerging, perhaps, as the new Mark Kinsella). As will Richard Dunne, Shay Given, Paul McShane, John O'Shea etc and so forth. But Italy are not perfect; Fabio Cannavaro, for example, is clearly on the wane. It can be done. For us fans of small nations, international football is all about giddy optimism and, now and again, epoch-defining drinking binges. Do not give up hope of an agonising Thursday morning hangover.

7:50pm: A minute's silence for the victims of Sunday's stadium disaster in Ivory Coast.

1 min: Robbie Keane sets the game in motion, and within seconds Kilbane has walloped it up to ... Buffon. Meanwhile, Darren McVeigh has poetry on his mind:

"O Trappatoni,

Are you but a phoney?

Where is big Andy Reid

In Our hour of need?

And why is this Keogh fella starting?

3 mins: O'Shea lies crumpled on the ground with blood seeping from his forehead following a clash with Pazzini. The ref calls the Italian over and indicates viaarm gestures that he saw illicit use of the elbow ... and the shows only a red card! The replay shows it was more than a trifle harsh. Trapattoni's luck comes to the fore again - beautiful!

5 mins: The question now is will that expulsion spur Ireland into attacking with gusto or will Trap keep things tight? The early signs are the players sense an upset is possible, and both Whelan and Keane have burst forward encouragingly in the last 60 seconds, though the ventures ultiamtely came to nothing as both players selected the wrong passes.

7 mins: The tifosi are furious and the cameras - presumably manned by Italians - are continually focusing on the ref as if to say "remember this face" ...

8 mins: Italy have yet to threaten at all, and the bitter boos from the crowd show that O'Shea has returned to the fray, his wound having been stitched up.

GOAL! Italy 1-0 Ireland (Iaquinta 10')

11 mins: That was diabolical defending by Ireland! Grosso collected a pedestrian ball into the box and twisted past McShane far too easily before knocking the ball across the face of goal. Iaquinta stole effortlessly between Dunne and O'Shea to tap it ito the net.

13 mins: So now Italy can do what Ireland originally planned to do, no doubt: sit back and perhaps launch the occasional counter-attack. Can Trap adapt? Ireland have reacted to the goal with plenty of energy, but no cohesion yet.

15 mins: Ireland are having plenty of possession but it's all in front of the home side, and with the referee seemingly intent on intoning for the red card he showed Pazzini by blowing up every time Ireland get near the Italian box, things are looking ominous.

17 mins: Hunt scampers boldly into the box and attempts to dart past Chiellini, who leans into him. Hunt collapses to the ground hopefully, but the ref, quite rightly, isn't going to give a penalty for that.

18 mins: As Italy try to play their way out of trouble, the ever-alert Andrews dispossess Pirlo - but the ref, inevitably, whistles for a foul. "Jaysus Paul, what is beautiful about O'Shea bleeding, or some poor sod

geeting an unjust red card," howls Kevin Mannerings. "Oh hold on, I see what you mean."

20 mins: The play has become very bitty, and the Italians seems perfectly happy about that. Ireland have shown lots of heart but not enough quality to truly ruffle the home side since falling behind. Keane has been lively and influential but Doyle can't get into the game.

23 mins: Now here's a thing: deeply uncharacteristically, Trap is preparing to make an early substitution. What's more, it seems to be an attacking one - Caleb Folan is coming on for Keogh, who doesn't appear to be injured. A switch to 4-3-3 seems to be the order.

24 mins: Crisp Italian passing culminates with Pepe receiving the ball on the right-hand corner of the Irish box. Rather than shoot,. he elected to curl a cross towards the far post, where there was no one. A mercifully bonkers choice.

25 mins: Hunt swings in a dangerous corner but Iaquinta rises well to head it clear before Dunne could connect.

26 mins: Keane, who has dropped slightly deeper since the introduction of Folan - perhaps in order tomore effectively fullfil the fantasista role Trap envisages for him -, collects the ball 30 yards from goal, saunters forward and unleashes a reasonable shot that flies over the bar.

28 mins: Given has clearly been instructed by Trap never to roll the ball to his full-backs. Packie Bonner-esque hoofs forward are what he's all about now, and Italy are coping with them handily. Having said that, a loose ball by Chiellini is McShane's cue to scurry forward and he sends in a useful cross from the right. Cannavaro whacks it clear, however.

30 mins: Folan has shown some tidy touches since coming on, controllign the ball and releasing it wide before spinning and dashing forward in search of a return pass. His neatness and pace offer renewed hope.

32 mins: McShane launches a cross into the box from the right touch-line; Keane takes it down but the ball then runs away from him ... and into the path of Andrews, 15 yards from goal! Arrrrrgh! He completely mis-hit his shot and the ball trickled wide.

34 mins: Yikes! Given could have been more shakey there if he'd dressed in denim and sung Green Door. He fumbled a Grosso cross straight into the path of Iaquinta, and was grateful to see Dunne turn up to tidy up the mess he'd made.

35 mins: Trademark Italian defending thwarts Ireland, Chiellini and Cannavaro hurling themselves at a series of snapshots from the edge of the box, mainly from impressive Keane.

37 mins: Excellent defending by Dunne, who read Pirlo's ball well enough to intercept it before Iaquinta even realised it had been attempted.

39 mins: France-based Grosso is coming across all Marquis de Sade on poor old McShane, torturing him for the sheer hell of it. Fortunately for the full-back, Given has just hurtled from his box to help him out, smashing the ball clear with relish.

40 mins: Pirlo lifts a ball over the top towards the rightr-back area - which has rapidly emerged as Ireland's weak spot - and Grosso sends a terrific volley just ver the bar. But he was offside.

41 mins: Ohhhhhh! A magnificent attempt by Hunt, who fired a swirling drive at goal from 25 yards only to be denied by an even more magnificent, one-handed save by Buffon.

43 mins: Throw-in to Ireland near the italian corner flag (right, if you must know). It's hurled in by Kilbane ... and smashed out by Chiellini.

45 mins: Ireland end the half on the attack, a somewhat blunt attack, but the intention is at least there and, in fairness, Ireland have created a couple of half-chances in this period. There is hope for the second half. "Is it just me or does anyone else think that Hunt's shot was just like that of Ray Houghton against Italy in USA '94," squawks Richard Leonard. "Or have I got a touch of the Hamiltons?" I would argue that it was a better shot - a truer strike - and, alas, that Buffon's positioning and gility was infinitely superior to Pagluica's on that glorious day.

Half-time: "I can't believe you described Pazzini's red card as a "trifle harsh"," thunders Tommer Spence. "He elbowed the man in the face and drew a lot of blood! In Serie A that would have earned a player (though probably not an Italian one) a massive ban. Compare it to Iaquinta collapsing when Doyle moved his leg 30cm away from him - 20 mins - which you failed to mention. Shame!" Admittedly my picture is grainy, but I didn't see any aggressive thrust from Pazzini's elbow, he seemed merely to be using his arm for leverage and the clash looked more unfortunate than hostile. Intriguingly, the ref seemed to brandish a yellow before hastily putting it back in his pocket and opting for the red.

46 mins: Italy have made a change but I can't tell you waht it is. Not because I'm sworn to secrecy, rather because the picture quality has deteriorated drastically. "Re: the sending off, I've just seen the replay and I would agree with you," booms Liam Rooney. "It was a flailing arm rather than an elbow, and if O'Shea hadn't come over all Henry Cooper, it would have been a free. Oh - on RTE Dunphy also agrees with that, which probably means that in fact it was a vicious and pre-meditated assault. Still, we should get something from this shouldn't we? We would have thumped Bulgaria if he had played 4-3-3."

48 mins: Italy tore into Ireland from the resumption but that little stsorm has passed and now the first-half pattern has returned, Ireland stroking the ball around purposefully but unable to summon any penetration. "Even the RTE commentators are saying that Pazzini didn't deserve a red card," wibbles Carissa Amash. "Yes, we're really multi-tasking over here in the US - Irish radio and the MBM!" A potent cocktail and no mistake.

50 mins: The Italian substitution, I can now reveal, involved replacing Pirlo with Palombo. Showing his class, Pirlo sits down on the bench and immedaitely bewgins texting. Meanwhile on the Irish side, McShane appears to have been shifted into the middle and O'Shea has been sent out wide to cope with Grosso. It had to be done.

52 mins: Irish change: Darron Gibson on for Andrews. Central creativity urgently required. Meanwhile, Lippi withdraws Pepe for Liverpool's Dossena.

55 mins: Doyle flicks the ball on for Hunt, who colides with Buffon in his eagerness to get to it. Again he bays for a penalty, again the ref is right to deny it.

57 mins: Italy are camped on the edge of their own box and Ireland are probing vigorously, but still that elusive final ball is, um, eludes them.

59 mins: Physical contact = freekick to Italy on half-way. He's annoying, this ref.

61 mins: Whelan dashes forward down the right and slips a nice ball through to Doyle, who pivots sharply and tries to pick out Keane on the penalty spot. But Cannavaro read his intentions and budles the ball away.

63 mins: Seldom can an Irish side have had so much possession against reigning world champions. True, Italy are not pressing, choosing to invite the Irish into their third of the pitch before putting up any resistance, but you can't escape the sense that sooner or later some Irishman is going to pick out a canny pass and present a team-mate with an opening ...

64 mins: Irish change: Doyle off, Noel Hunt on.

65 mins: Dossena throws himself at Whelan and knocks the ball out of play. The increasingly irritating referee gives the bthrow-in to Italy.

66 mins: Same as before. "Lovely photo!" blurts Liam Rooney. "O'Shea pouring blood and Pazzini holding his elbow! I've done a Dunphy and changed my mind on a whim, what more evidence do you need? Very funny and Pazzini looks seriously sheepish." He's a wolf under that clothing though.

68 mins: "I can always escape the sense that Ireland are going to play a canny pass," scoffs Hugh Collins. "The sense that Keane will miss a header from three yards out, or that Gibson will give away possession in midfield - THOSE are the inescapables." Perhaps, but Ireland have played well tonight, within their limitations.

69 mins: Grosso booked for barging into S Hunt as he was about to cross from the right. Gibson plays it short to S Hunt, whose cross is nodded behind for a corner. But N Hunt's delivery is wretched and Italy clear.

70 mins: N Hunt nicks a corner with widlly optimistic shot from 30 yards. Then drifts said corner into Buffon's arms.

72 mins: Vicious low Kilbane cross is bundled away by Cannavaro.

74 mins: McShane is booked protesting against a crazy refereeing decision. Iaquinta elbowed him in the face - with much more force than Pazzini used earlier on - and Italy get the free-kick! And they nearly scored from it, Chiellini narrowly failing to connect with the cleverly-flighted cross.

76 mins: After another absurd decision, Italy send another free-kick into the danger zone and this time it's Iaquinta who has to look to the heavens and waves his hands in stereotypically Italian fashion after narrowly failing to connect.

77 mins: S Hunt creeps off side just as Ireland begin to re-exert pressure ...

79 mins: Rampaging run by Whelan, who is savagely hacked down by Chiellini on the edge of the box.

81 mins: N Hunt wins a corner for Ireland. Gibson's delivery is rubbish.

82 mins: A rare counter-attack from Italy almost leads to a goal, but Whelan scampered back to tip the ball away from Dossena just as he was poised to knock Iaquinta's cross into the net.

84 mins: Yert another Irish corner after Buffon tips a Kilbane long-ranger over the bar. Again, however, the delivery is poor.

85 mins: Cannavaro performs a reprise of the tackle that should have earned him a red card in Montenegro on Satuirday, this time Kilbane was the victim. And the ref doesn't even give a yellow. And the free-kick is lofted into the box before being easily punted clear.

GOAL! Italy 1-1 Ireland (Keane 86')

86 mins: Caleb Folan superstar! He's been tidy and speedy tonight, a splendid link in a strong IRish chain. But neither his pace nor his poise were required there as he jumped with Niall Quinn-esque abandon in a bid to meet a hefty Given punt. That was enough to destabilise the Italian defence and the ball broke to Keane, who slapped it into the net from right yards! JUSTICE!

88 mins: Ireland are going for the winner, and both Whelan and N Hunt come within inches of prodding a bouncing ball into the net! "Pitiful Irish side cannot beat 10-men Italy!" mocks Stanislav Pondev. "You are laughable with your biased commentary." Stanislav adds, wholly unnecesarily, that he is Bulgarian.

90 mins: Corner after corner for Ireland, nervously defended by Italy, who suddenly fear that their first ever defeat in Bari could be close ...

90+2 mins: N Hunt gifts Italy a chance to relieve the pressure by clumsily clattering into Zambrotta.

90+3 mins: Ohhhhhhhhhh! Folan again flicks on a long ball and Keane again met it, this time with a flying volley! He was too eager, had he waited for the ball to drop just a few inches lower - and he had got the jump on the defence so could have done - his fierce shot would have been a few inches lower and therefore on target.

Full-time: A fine performance by Ireland and a fine result. It was not a world-class display but the Irish were more than merely gutsy, they clearly played to the summit of their potential (shoddy set-pieces aside) and certainly deserved at least a point. This should give them powerful confidence for the rest of the campaign, and leaves them in a pleasant position in the group, with their toughest assignment behind them. Trap showed adventure and a willingness to make decisive substitutions that we never knew he had, and Caleb Folan may just have emerged as the target-man we've been craving.