Republic of Ireland v Italy Football Results

The Republic of Ireland has played Italy on 14 separate occasions. Up until the World Cup quarter final meeting in Rome in 1990 meetings between the two countries stood at just five and that number included a meeting with Italy B in 1927. A match between Italy and Ireland more than a year earlier was just the fifth match for the new Irish football nation. Ireland was known as the Irish Free State at the time.

Up until 1994 Ireland had a 100% losing record against the Italians in a sequence of seven matches that included three competitive matches shipping 15 goals and scoring just three. The first competitive encounters between the two nations came in the 1972 European Championship qualifiers with the Irish losing home and away by an aggregate score of 1-5

Ireland V Italy – 1990 World Cup

The date was the 30th June 1990, the venue was the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, and the occasion was the World Cup quarter final. There were 73,303 in the stadium that evening and it is estimated that 15,000 of them were Irish and they certainly made their presence felt. This was the first, and remains the only, time that the two teams met in Rome.

In what was the best footballing performance by the Irish players at Italia 90 they matched their illustrious opponents for skill and endeavour. Ireland even had a chance to take the lead and would have done if Niall Quinn had managed to get more power into an early header on goal.

As the first half wore on the Italians strengthened their grip on the game and after 38 minutes disaster struck for the Irish. A long range swerving shot from Milan’s Roberto Donadoni caught penalty shoot-out hero Packie Bonner somewhat off balance. He could only parry the powerful shot as he stumbled beyond his left post on to his knees. The ball landed at the feet of ‘Toto’ Schillachi at the corner of the six yard box who slotted home what would prove to be the winning goal.

For the rest of the match the Irish chased and harried in an attempt to prise out an equaliser but to no avail. In all honesty the Italians were the better team and had the better goal chances. When referee Carlos Silva Valente blew the final whistle the Irish knew that they had been second best on this occasion.

Ireland V Italy – 1994 World Cup

Ireland took on Italy on June 18 at Giants Stadium in the opening group E match at the 1994 World Cup in the USA. The New Jersey stadium was a sea of Irish tricolours and the Irish players must have felt as though they were playing at home. Once more the Irish fans had travelled in huge numbers to support their team and it wasn’t long before they had cause to be jubilant.

Just 12 minutes after the match kicked off the Italian captain, and magnificent defender, Franco Baresi was already looking uncomfortable. An attempt to clear the Italian lines lacked conviction allowing Ray Houghton was to collect the ball comfortably. The Glasgow-born Irish midfielder made an almost full turn before lifting his left-footed shot over Italian keeper Pagliuca.

In the first half Italy had at least an equal share of possession of the ball but almost everything was being channelled through play-maker Roberto Baggio. Time and again the magnificent Paul McGrath, ably supported by Phil Babb, repelled Italian attacks, snuffing out danger early, making last ditch tackles, and making towering clearing headers. His performance had it all including one cameo, midway through the second half, where he made a number tackles in quick succession finally taking a fierce shot from Roberto Baggio full in the face. Unbelievably he was back on his feet in a flash ready to stop whatever else the Italian attack could throw at him.

Almost immediately the Irish poured forward, lone striker Tommy Coyne to the fore, the ball breaking off him to Houghton, who made Pagliuca move sharply to save. Roy Keane then got to the bye line and pulled back for Sheridan, unmarked, to lean just a little and allow his shot from eight yards to fly up and kiss the bar on its way over.

But Ireland were above all a team, and to say that they defended as such, doing little else, for slightly over half the match should not to disguise that they amply deserved to win it. It was the first time Ireland had avoided defeat in seven meetings with the Italians- and the first time in 13 World Cups that Italy had lost their opening match. Yet another famous football victory for the Republic of Ireland.

Republic of Ireland Match Results Against Italy

Republic of Ireland v Italy Record Summary

Ireland v Italy World Cup Finals Record

Ireland v Italy Euro Finals Record

Ireland v Italy World Cup Qualifiers Record

Ireland v Italy Euro Qualifiers Record

Ireland v Italy Friendly Matches Record