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In the words of Peter Beardsley at the time: Sometimes he's defended us and he's cut his own throat doing

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In the words of Peter Beardsley at the time: "Sometimes he's defended us and he's cut his own throat doing so." Eriksson has done the same, particularly in supporting the threatened strike before England's fate in the European Championship was settled in Istanbul.There is, though, one difference in the way the two men planned for a tournament which made Robson's reputation, and one which will probably decide Eriksson's. To this generation, Italia '90 is the tournament by which England teams are measured, the summer of England's finest ever away performance; the summer of penalties, Pavarotti and "Nessun Dorma".Then as now, the England manager was vilified for a flirtation with one of Europe's wealthiest clubs just before the tournament, although unlike Sven Goran Eriksson with Chelsea, Bobby Robson accepted PSV Eindhoven's offer. Substitutes: Vaniak (SK Sigma) for Cech, h-t; Rozehnal (FC Brugge) for Bolf, 58; Heinz (Banik Ostrava) for Nedved, h-t; Stajner (Sparta Prague) for Sionko, h-t; Lokvenc (Kaiserslautern) for Koller, h-t; Plasil (Monaco) for Jiranek, 69; Vorisek (Teplice) for Baros, 83.Referee: E K Fisker (Den).. Substitutes: Kenny (gk, Sheffield United) for Given, 82; Kinsella (West Bromwich Albion) for Duff, 75; Miller (Celtic) for Doherty, 70; Delap (Southampton) for Reid, 65; Lee (Cardiff City) for Morrison, 70.CZECH REPUBLIC (4-4-2): Cech (Rennes); Jiranek (Reggina), Ujfalusi (Hamburg), Bolf (Banik Ostrava), Jankulovski (Udinese); Tyce (1860 Munich), Galasek (Ajax), Nedved (Juventus), Sionko (Sparta Prague); Koller (Borussia Dortmund), Baros (Liverpool).

It was the second time he has scored against the Czechs and his 19th goal for his country, leaving him just two behind Niall Quinn in the all-time list. Little wonder the crowd left sated.REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (4-4-2): Given (Newcastle United); Cunningham (Birmingham) Maybury (Heart of Midlothian), Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur), Harte (Leeds United); Reid (Nottingham Forest), Holland (Charlton Athletic), Kilbane (Everton), Duff (Chelsea); Keane (Tottenham Hotspur), Morrison (Birmingham City). He stole in only to steer a shot over and then from a flick-on he outmuscled Maybury to prod beyond Given But Ireland were not finished Twice the ball was in the Czech net. Firstly it sailed in from Rory Delap's long throw and was disallowed as his fellow substitute Alan Lee failed to make contact, and then the Cardiff striker bulldozed on, feeding off a ricochet and a slip to mishit a cross In a flash Keane collected and rolled the ball in. Shay Given pulled off a sharp double save from Maybury's wayward interception and then Roman Tyce's follow-up After Doherty departed, the Irish wobbled Milan Baros sensed the weakness. Moments before Harte's opener, a header from Doherty thumped the base of the post and the goalkeeper, Martin Vaniak, on for the Chelsea-bound Petr Cech, pushed away Keane's drive Back came the Czechs. Two darting runs raised the blood and suddenly Ireland were back in it with a header from Kevin Kilbane ­ the only ever-present in Kerr's 13-match reign ­ sailing over.It was committed and imaginative ­ goals were inevitable.

That the Leeds reserve thumped in a glorious free-kick to open the scoring will have only added to a therapeutic outing. That came soon after the interval when Clinton Morrison was nudged, and from the lip of the area Harte flighted the ball low into the far corner. The moment was made for his left foot.Prior to that, the Czechs had carried the greater threat with shots raining in and a header from Rene Bolf hooked off the line by Maybury. At one stage the Irish asked for the pressure of the ball to be checked ­ they were not seeing much of it. Pavel Nedved was pulling the strings, but then Duff gave him a little tug of a reminder that he was not the only pedigree performer. Stephen Carr was omitted with a knee injury and the impressive Gary Doherty turned an ankle But neither injury is thought to be serious. There was wounded pride for the Czechs, whose manager, Karel Bruckner, appeared hang-dog "The run is over," he said.

"I hope we can now go and repeat it." He could have hidden behind a flurry of substitutions and absentees but chose not to.His opposite number, Brian Kerr, looked like the cat that got the cream Superlatives tripped from his tongue. "Some of our attacking play was of the highest order," he said Indeed it was The concerns had been in defence. Carr's withdrawal left just Kenny Cunningham of his first choices, with the previously exiled Alan Maybury and the perennially derided Ian Harte returning. In the irrepressible Damien Duff ­ who received a raucous man-of-the-match ovation ­ Robbie Keane and Andy Reid they had their own thoroughbreds. Even though Keane scored the winner deep in injury time, it was not a great evening for Spurs.

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