We have to defeat Italy to get rid of this hurt, says Dunne

Dunne and his team-mates arrived in Poland believing they had a genuine chance of at least reaching the quarter-finals, but successive defeats by Croatia and Spain have rendered their final Group C fixture against Italy largely irrelevant, for them at least.

The 32-year-old Aston Villa defender offered a frank assessment of Ireland’s performances to date, which have seen them lose 3-1 to the Croatians and 4-0 to the Spaniards.

He said: “It’s heartbreaking. It’s your dream to go and play in the championships and play well and be brilliant, and it’s just not happened for us, so it’s heartbreaking.

“As much as we wanted to do well, we know we haven’t. We are playing against teams that are better than us and it’s hard to accept that our best at the moment isn’t good enough.”

Manager Giovanni Trapattoni has known for the four years he has been in charge that the Republic lack the superstars some of their opponents can boast, but has always been confident that the fighting spirit, pride and organisation of his players would bridge the gap.

However, a 14-game unbeaten run came to a sorry end against Croatia, and the mauling they received at the hands of Spain simply exposed the wounds once again.

Worryingly, they conceded in the opening few minutes of each half in both games as the resilience on which they have based their recent run deserted them just when they needed it most.

Dunne said: “It might have been a different tournament if we got through the first 10 minutes in both games.

“That’s the one regret – if we could have got through them, we might have seen a different game, we might have grown a little bit. We have just not had the chance.

“We did everything we possibly could. You have to hold your hands up. Our normal game is pressure, pressure, pressure and... the teams are too good.”

Trapattoni’s men could be forgiven for wishing they could head straight back to Dublin and avoid what could be another tough 90 minutes if they do not rediscover their form quickly.

Italy must win and hope the Spain v Croatia result goes in their favour if they are to avoid an early trip home, and that will make for another intense affair.

However, Dunne said: “We don’t want to go home because we don’t want to go home feeling like we are.

“If we win (tonight), it restores a bit of pride, not just in Irish football, but in ourselves.

“There’s more hurt than anyone can imagine, so for ourselves, we need to win a game.

“We need to make sure we can get through the first 10 minutes without conceding a goal.

“It’s another game, we’re representing our country so, regardless of how we feel inside, we have to go and give 100 per cent and make sure we turn the hurt into passion and win the game.”

Ireland’s form in Poland has attracted strong criticism at home from former captain Roy Keane in particular, and led to speculation that some of the senior players, Dunne among them, could announce their retirement in the wake of tonight’s game.

But he said: “We came here with a dream and an aim of winning the European championships, and it’s completely gone wrong for us.

“It’s not a time when we are thinking about retiring. We have lost two games in a row and we don’t want to lose three, so the focus is on the match.

“(Tonight) is all we worry about.”

Outspoken former captain Keane had earlier ramped up his criticism of his national side, declaring himself ready to take on anyone in the squad who disagrees with him.

Keane was highly critical of those involved in Gdansk and was annoyed by the way the players were serenaded from the stands despite their heavy loss.

His outburst has caused a stir in Irish football circles, with under-fire goalkeeper Shay Given refuting Keane’s claims the side were only at the tournament for a “sing-song”, while manager Trapattoni told Keane to concentrate on his own coaching career.

The 40-year-old was unrepentant yesterday, though, using his column in the Sun newspaper to resume his broadside.

“You’ll never beat the Irish?” he wrote of a popular terrace chant. “It’s time for that song to be put away because, at the moment, everyone is beating them. I’m sick of this ‘win, lose, we’re on the booze’ mentality. It has to change.”

Keane notoriously walked out of Ireland’s 2002 World Cup campaign, meaning some fans have refused to give his comments any credence.

But the former Manchester United midfielder is ready to stand by his rant, especially if challenged by players he believes do not deserve their place in the side.

“The likes of (Robbie) Keane, Shay Given, Richard Dunne, John O’Shea and Damien Duff are picked every game as they have a big reputation. A reputation for what? They hadn’t qualified for anything in 10 years,” he said. “They love having a dig back when I say something but I tell you now, I’ll be ready if they do because players have to be accountable for how the team did. I’m trying to be constructive but the manager and players all have to be accountable. It’s no good shrugging our shoulders and having a sing-song.

“I’ve no problems with the fans singing. It’s great that they back the team during and before games – but should they really stay on long after the final whistle cheering? There’s a danger that the players think that what has happened on the pitch is acceptable, when it’s not.”