SO, the Irish odyssey in Cagliari continues. Italy were eventually tamed in the 42nd match of the marathon, 14-nation World Cup preliminary competition yesterday, leaving Ireland top of the board with a 100 per cent record in the group. Their six-wins-in-a-row, 24-goal sequence has been surpassed by their fellow countrymen only in the halcyon Triple Crown eras before and after the second World War.
Those were the days when Ireland played three games per season. This team was involved yesterday in the 13th international in six months, and the squad will have figured in 15 matches by the end of this tournament.
Today's rest will be much appreciated, before New Zealand provide the opposition in tomorrow's semi-finals, in which the other qualifiers for Kuala Lumpur, Canada and Poland, will be first into action.
Initially, the strain seemed to have taken its toll on the Irish brigade against the abrasive Italians, who were the sharper side in a bid to please their tifosi. Indeed, they deserved to open the scoring when Giampaolo Lanzano broke through the cover in the 21st minute and delivered a cleanly hit shot.
Other opportunities were created, too, but Ireland's number two goalkeeper, Peter Darley, responded totally to the award of a third cap and brought off a variety of first-rate saves.
In contrast, his opposite number, Davide Ghiradi, did not have to cope with a single shot, as only David McAnulty showed any sign of forcing a breakthrough at the other end.
After that frustrating opening half, however, Ireland as they had done in earlier matches found top gear after the interval.
McAnulty, indeed, swept into over-drive. When the freshly-introduced Lee Tumilty earned a short corner after four minutes, Robbie Taylor whipped the ball against the post and McAnulty quickly seized possession to push home the equaliser.
Six minutes later, McAnulty raced clear on the right wing and his centring pass left Julian Stevenson with ample room to make it 2-1.
There followed a period in which some needle was shown by both sides, with Ireland reacting to the stick being used sorely by the Italians. Two players from each team incurred yellow cards, with Taylor and Errol Lutton joining Sergio Bertini and Massimo Lanzano on the sideline.
In the nine-a-side exchanges. Italy went close to restoring parity, but Darley edged Lanzano out of range and the incisive Luca Delle Monache missed a gilt-edged chance. But when the teams were restored to full complements, Ireland sealed victory. MeAnulty earned a short corner eight minutes from the end and Taylor came off the bench to set the net quivering again with his seventh goal of the tournament.
In addition to McAnulty a storming role in this latest success was also played by Alistair Dunne in mid-field, particularly when he moved into the pivotal position when Alan Dowd's back trouble forced him to miss most of the second half. Robbie Ryan, too, again showed his versatility in taking over when it was best for Taylor to stay off the field, while Gregg Sterritt was the most composed figure in the defence.
Ultimately, it was a win which demonstrated that Ireland can cope with even the most frustrating tactics, and coach Cees Koppelaar can have much reason to be pleased with the dividends that have accrued in this, his 10th year in charge of operations.
