Italians wary of backlash from Ireland

In every tournament, the Italians claim to have discovered a “mina vagante” — a floating mine. This time the honour belongs to Ireland. It was a discovery they could have done without.

Italy will always have a soft spot for Trapattoni and Tardelli but forget the sentimentality: their worry is that in football, unlike warfare, a floating mine can explode again.

For the Gazzetta dello Sport, this was the day that Ireland’s luck ran out and Slaven Bilic’s men sounded a warning to the other Group C contenders. “This time Trap’s holy water didn’t work. A strange goal, an own goal, and just to tip the balance of things gone wrong a penalty that wasn’t given.