Clean bill of health for Irish

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

THE good news from within the Irish camp is that there are no fresh injury worries as the squad prepares to fly out to Paris this morning.

"Nobody is injured, all the players are fit and the morale is high," reported assistant manager Marco Tardelli.

Expressing confidence that Ireland can upset the odds in the Stade de France, Tardelli referred to their performance in qualification away to world champions Italy – although he knows that the same 1-1 outcome would mean the end of the World Cup road.

"The way we played in Bari, it was possible to win there," he said. "So it is also possible in Paris. We could have scored three times against France in Dublin. The players believe it’s possible to win."

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Tuesday, November 17, 2009