Ireland needs 1st win over Italy in 22 years to advance

Following their 3-0 victory the Belgian team move to second in the group standings, behind Italy, while Ireland sit bottom with only one point from their two matches.

Romelu Lukaku silenced his critics with a brace as Belgium kick-started their Euro 2016 campaign by comfortably beating the Republic of Ireland 3-0 in Bordeaux on Saturday.

“We have a game to win and we have to throw everything into it”, O’Neill said.

Belgium game a must-win for Ibrahimovic’s team.

Belgium were seeking to bounce back from their 2-0 loss to Italy and Kevin De Bruyne, a pre-match injury doubt, started behind Lukaku and was soon controlling play. That’s thanks to the fact that the four best third-placed teams also qualify this year, due to the new expanded tournament.

Republic of Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane has tried to motivate his players in typically blunt fashion, telling the side to “show some balls” ahead of their final, must-win, Group E game against Italy.

It was the ideal way for Marc Wilmots’ side to respond after the head coach was on the receiving end of severe criticism from both his players and fans after their 2-0 defeat to Italy.

There is a lot more at stake for Ireland when they face the Azzuri again on Wednesday. We played them in 2012 when they had no points and no chance of going through, but they still gave everything for 90 minutes and caused us problems, and even their fans enjoyed it like it was the final. We look forward and get ready for the next challenge – that’s what sport is about.

However, his assistant Marco Tardelli stoked the fires ahead of the game when he suggested Irish players do not have the football intellect to match the bigger teams in worldwide football.

Defender and captain John O Shea added: “We have a big chance now against Italy”.

Realistically only a win will do in Lille on Wednesday night, and with that in mind boss Martin O’Neill is expected to make changes. “Believe!” the Irish soccer association posted on its Facebook page.

“But I think that overall we were beaten today by a better team”. In Group B Slovakia now sit third with three points after two games, Northern Ireland occupy the same spot with the same points in Group C, Czech Republic lie third with one point in Group D and it’s Portugal who are third with two points in Group F.

Belgium were better than us, pure and simple, and while I take no pleasure in writing that line, it is a reality we simply have to accept.

“Then you start to chase the game a bit, get stretched, and of course very fine players can punish you, and that s what happened”.