European Under-21 Championship Group A qualifier: Italy 1 (Casadei 23) Republic of Ireland 1 (Moran 66)
There was no late hard-luck story but the heartbreak cut even deeper as the Republic of Ireland’s European Under-21 Championship qualification hopes came to an end with a draw away to Italy in Trieste on Tuesday night.
A goal from Chelsea’s Cesare Casadei was cancelled out by Irish captain Andy Moran’s second-half strike but they couldn’t conjure up a winner to top the group.
Instead, Ireland fell to third based on their head-to-head record against Norway (one draw, one defeat), who secured the necessary victory over Turkey, 5-1, to nick a place in the playoffs.
Irish regrets won’t focus so much on this tie, rather the dropped points in previous games against Italy and Latvia at home, and Norway home and away. Ireland had led in all four of those games and twice conceded stoppage-time equalisers.
Manager Jim Crawford made two changes from Friday’s controversial late draw with Norway, with Wigan’s Baba Adeeko introduced to the midfield and Bristol City’s Sinclair Armstrong back from suspension up front.
Ireland emerged with a start full of purpose and potential, pinning the hosts back. They dominated the set pieces and twice forced Italy to clear off the line inside the first 23 minutes.
The first chance arrived when Johnny Kenny’s header from a corner kick was spilled straight back to the Shamrock Rovers striker by nervy home goalkeeper Sebastiano Desplanches. Kenny instinctively turned the ball goalward but Nicolò Bertola stepped back on to the line to block its path.
Kenny rose highest again from a Matt Healy free-kick but couldn’t hit the target. When Healy’s next corner was only punched as far as Adeeko, his shot evaded the goalkeeper but Bertola was perfectly positioned once more to deny Ireland.
Even more devastating was the Italian counterattack to break the deadlock. Juventus prospect Nicoló Savona led the charge but his initial shot was blocked by Moran. Wilfried Gnonto kept the play alive and his scuffed cross found Casadei to poke home.
The blow was compounded with news of Norway taking the lead against Turkey, which they would soon double.
It was all or nothing now for Ireland but their hosts were spurred on by their breakthrough. A Gnonto rocket was tipped on to the crossbar by Tiernan Brooks and Tommaso Baldanzi whipped a free-kick wide.
Ireland looked on the brink when a clumsy Anselmo Garcia MacNulty tackle brought down Roma’s €10 million man Baldanzi for a penalty. Gnonto stepped up but blazed high into the stand and appeared to blame the Trieste pitch for the miss.
Crawford had hinted pre-match at the possibility of half-time changes. He opted for two, replacing his wing backs Seán Roughan and Sam Curtis with Tayo Adaramola and Connor O’Brien, who was making his competitive debut.
Aidomo Emakhu was introduced before the hour and he gave Ireland an immediate lift.
Moments after being booked, it was the Millwall man’s endeavour which created the equaliser. He outwitted his marker out wide to send in a low cross which was met by a perfectly timed Moran run to find the net.
Armstrong led the rejuvenated Irish efforts for a lead goal but couldn’t quite wrap his foot around the next chance. He then squared for Emakhu, who was denied by a brave Mattia Zanotti tackle, which saw the left back stretchered off.
With four minutes to play, it took a super save by Brooks to repel a Daniele Ghilardi strike that looked destined for the bottom corner.
Ireland were still alive entering the seven minutes of stoppage time. More Emakhu magic conjured up a shot which Desplanches parried around the post before James Abankwah’s hit was blocked away.
When they needed it most, the stoppage-time drama wouldn’t come.
ITALY: S Desplanches; N Savona, D Ghilardi, N Bertola, M Zanotti (R Turicchia, 76); C Casadei, M Prati, C Ndour; T Baldanzi (G Bonfanti, 89), W Gnonto (L Koleosho, 76); P Esposito (G Fabbian, 54).
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: T Brooks; S Curtis (C O’Brien, 46), E Adegboyega, J Abankwah, A Garcia MacNulty, S Roughan (T Adaramola, 46); B Adeeko (M O’Mahony, 81), M Healy, A Moran; J Kenny (A Emakhu, 59), S Armstrong.
Referee: A Ladebäck (Swe).
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