Rolling back the years: Today was the day “the nation held its breath” and Ireland reached the quarter finals of the World Cup – TheLiberal.ie – Our News, Your Views

Rolling back the years: Today was the day “the nation held its breath” and Ireland reached the quarter finals of the World Cup




dave-oleary

On this very day 25 years ago at approximately 6.45pm David O’Leary sent the Republic Of Ireland into the quarter finals of the FIFA World Cup at Italia 90.

In the scorching hot summer that year the sun truly shone Irish Soccer as it was their first appearance at the World Cup and they were given little chance by many other nations with many expecting the boys in green to be the whipping boys of the tournament so to speak. After been drawn in one of the toughest groups in the competition alongside our greatest rivals England, Netherlands and Egypt we defied the odds and came through the to reach the last 16 to be drawn against Romania.

After showing strong determination and grit installed by legendary manager Jack Charlton in the group stages which earned us three unlikely draws we were given little chance to go any further by the World’s media, with many claiming that the end of the road was nigh. However “Jackie’s Army” were not going go out of the tournament without a whimper as they came up against the much fancied Romanians.

After playing out a goalless draw in the sweltering heat at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa, the game went into extra time and the nation still had hope that we would defy the odds once more. with both teams being unable to score in extra time the game went to a penalty shootout, Romania won the toss to take the first spot kick and Gheorghe Hagi stepped up to duly convert for the Romanians, the attention quickly turned back to the boys in green as Kevin Mark Sheedy steeped up and gratefully converted the spot kick which gave the nation a much needed sigh of relief. The next three spot kicks were duly converted by both sides by Lupu, Houghton, Rotariu, Townsend, Lupescu, Cascarino, respectively.

Then came the moment that the Irish sporting nation will never forget as Packie Bonner saved Romania’s fifth spot kick taken by Timofte. The save made the entire nation believe that Irish soccer was on the verge of something special. All that was left was our fifth and final kick to be taken by none other than David O’Leary and as George Hamilton so eloquently spoke “the nation holds it breath” as O’Leary stepped up and smashed home the spot kick sending the Irish nation into delirium. We had done it after no one gave us a fighting chance we defied the odds and put ourselves amongst world soccer’s elite and made the quarter finals of the World Cup.

 

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