Shane Long insists Ireland can still make it out of this European Championship group and says that doing so by beating Italy would be especially sweet now but the striker admits that Martin O'Neill's side were second best in Bordeaux where Belgium beat them 3-0.
The 29 year-old worked flat out for the cause before being replaced late on by Robbie Keane and he is adamant that he should have had a penalty immediately before Belgium's opening goal; something that would most likely transformed the game for Ireland by giving Martin O'Neil's side a lead to defend.
"I can't really say what I really want to say because I'd probably get myself into some trouble," says the Southampton striker as he recalls having Belagian boots to either side of his head as he tried to get onto the end of a Robbie Brady free kick just three minutes in to the second half .
“It’s just disappointing. I think anywhere else on the pitch I might have got a free kick but then the fact that they go and break and score makes it a little hard to take. The referee maybe didn’t think there was anything there; I can’t really say what he was thinking but the pictures speak for themselves.”
Up until then, he says, the afternoon had gone relatively well for an Ireland side anxious not to concede over the course of the first 45 minutes although clearly the Belgians had been on top.
“It was a good first half,” he says. “To get in nil nil was a big aim and then to try to get that goal in the second half but as you saw they broke well, they have the players up the pitch that can attack at pace and they punished us. I think 3-0 was probably a bit flattering but they’ve got the players who can punish you on the break.
“It was a tough game. There were a lot of long balls and I was trying to throw myself about and waiting for something to break my way. It was always going to be tough once they went 1-0 up, though, with their two sitting midfielders and two centre backs and so it was about trying to catch them; hoping that Wes might get the ball and find the pass but it didn’t really fall for us in that first half and it was always going to be tough in the second once they went ahead.
“But we move on; it’s a tough result to take at this point but we’ll approach the Italy game knowing that we need to win. Hopefully they might rest a few players. It’s all or nothing at this stage.”
With players on yellow cards and facing the prospect of suspensions for the first knockout round, Antonio Conte is certainly likely to rest players on Wednesday in Lille and they are unlikely to be quite as motivated as the Irish but a win would still be quite an achievement for a side now scrapping to stay in the tournament. Inevitably, though, Long points to the qualifying campaign as offering evidence have this team has big wins in it and he insists that he and his team mates can pull qualification out of the bag now that what is required has become completely clear.
“I think we can beat anyone,” he says. “We’ve got a good record against the big teams... obviously not today (but generally) and we’ve a good record against Italy as well. Hopefully they rest a few players and we’ll go out and try to cause an upset. It would be amazing to go through after beating Italy on four points. That’s what we have to aim for. Nothing less will do.”
