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Ireland beats Italy, advances to round of 16

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June 23, 2016
Italy's Stephan El Shaarawy, right, and Ireland's Stephen Quinn vie for the ball during the Euro 2016 Group E soccer match between Italy and Ireland at the Pierre Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve d’Ascq, near Lille, France, Wednesday, June 22, 2016. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) Italy's Stephan El Shaarawy (right) and Ireland's Stephen Quinn vie for the ball during the Euro 2016 Group E football match between Italy and Ireland at the Pierre Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve d'Ascq, near Lille, France, yesterday. (AP Photo)

LILLE (AP)

A late goal from Robby Brady proved enough for Ireland to beat Italy 1-0 yesterday and secure a place for his team in the knockout stages of the European Championship.

Brady's 85th minute header ended Ireland's 22-year wait for a competitive win over Italy and guaranteed that the team ended up as one of the best third-place teams. Its reward a round of 16 match against France in Lyon on Sunday.

It's the first time Ireland has made it to the knockout stage of the European Championship, having failed to do so in its two previous appearances, in 1988 and 2012.

Italy, which was already assured of top spot in Group E after two straight group wins, will meet defending champion Spain next in what is potentially the most mouth-watering match of the round of 16.

Brady's goal was just reward for an inspired performance by the Ireland team, which needed to win to get through to the next round.

His goal, which stemmed from a cross by second-half substitute Wes Hoolahan, came just moments after Hoolahan himself had missed a golden chance to put Ireland ahead.

Spurred on by its passionate green-clad fans, Ireland tried to drag the Italians into a physical battle almost from the opening whistle. In the first few minutes, there were some crunching tackles, most notably when Jeff Hendrick hit Alessandro Florenzi with a flying tackle.

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