Trapattoni extends his impressive record over native Italy

Keith Andrews and Simon Cox teamed up to fire Republic of Ireland to victory over coach Giovanni Trapattoni’s native Italy.

The Blackburn midfielder’s sweet 36th-minute strike and a second from substitute Cox at the finish secured a fourth successive win for the Republic and extended Trapattoni’s unbeaten record against the team he once managed to three games.

Once again, Ireland’s industry and commitment saw them through against technically more gifted opponents despite nine changes to the side which defeated Macedonia in Skopje at the weekend.

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Cesare Prandelli’s men may have dominated possession but they failed to make the most of it and when the chances came their way, the Irishmen took them with some aplomb in front of a crowd of 21,516.

The large contingent of Italian expatriates at the Maurice Dufrasne Stadium in Liege made their feelings abundantly clear on the final whistle on a night when Sean St Ledger led a gritty defensive display in his first game for 11 weeks, while midfielder Stephen Hunt turned in another terrier-like performance.

It may not have had the significance of the Republic’s famous 1994 World Cup finals win over Italy, but it served to illustrate a depth to Trapattoni’s squad which many of his predecessors have not enjoyed.

Trapattoni insisted beating Italy did not make victory sweeter.

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He said: “I don’t need the rivalry against Italy. When we play we play to win.

“The team is (going in) a good direction.”

The friendly followed the Republic’s successful Carling Nations Cup campaign but the Italian insisted arranging such a game had been the right thing.

“The manager needs these friendly games,” he said.

“We need to create try and create a team.”