England travelled to Rome for the final match of the 1998 World Cup qualifying campaign requiring a solitary point at the Stadio Olimpico to guarantee their spot at the tournament proper. Italy famously triumphed over the English in the reverse fixture when the diminutive Gianfranco Zola beat goalkeeper Ian Walker at his near post to secure only their second-ever victory at Wembley.
Manager Glenn Hoddle knew it would be a tough assignment for his squad, but fully believed in their ability to confound the critics and make it through to France '98 ahead of their fierce rivals. At least a draw in the Eternal City and the Three Lions would be roaring all the way to the finals, while consigning the mighty Italians to the dreaded play-offs.
The former Tottenham maestro was known for his love of cultured football, but felt it necessary to instruct his charges to sit back and hit the Azzurri on the counter-attack whenever possible. He was aware that the hosts would strive to put England under constant pressure and deemed it too risky to attempt a reciprocation of those tactics. Therefore, the team were well-drilled in advance over the rigid nature of their defensive duties in order to stifle the opposition threat.
Hoddle selected an experienced line-up including captain for the evening Paul Ince, Tony Adams, Paul Gascoigne, David Seaman and Ian Wright. Meanwhile, the Italian starting eleven was brimming with global superstars such as Maldini, Albertini, Vieri, Zola and Pippo Inzaghi to name but a few, thus providing a rather daunting prospect when the visitors faced up to the unenviable task in front of them.
An incredible 81,000 fans packed into the Olimpico to witness the contest and set about the creation of a wonderfully partisan atmosphere reminiscent of the infamous Colosseum itself. The tension was palpable due to the sheer magnitude of the occasion and yet the English appeared completely focused as the sides lined up prior to kick-off.
As predicted, Italy reserved the lion's share of territory, as England allowed them to play with relative freedom until approaching the final third of the field. Then they would press, pursue and chase down every ball with boundless energy, heroically blocking everything which came into their path. Ince and Gascoigne were particularly impressive in central midfield, working doggedly to win back possession and proceeding to retain it with great poise. The pair spent almost the entire game relentlessly stalking every blade of grass on the pitch in true lung-busting fashion, while bidding to stop the Italian artisans from making a crucial breakthrough.
Home hopes blew up spectacularly late on, as the away team successfully frustrated their illustrious foes until Italy's discipline eventually deserted them altogether when in utter desperation to claim three points. Locally-born wide midfielder Angelo Di Livio lost his head completely after 76 minutes, resulting in a sending-off that made England's job that much easier thanks to the departure of the tigerish Juventus man.
Battered and bruised, courageous captain Ince epitomised the battling spirit within the camp throughout England's rearguard action against the well-fancied Azzurri. Just like Terry Butcher years before him, the inspirational leader stood up to the rigours of the heated clash while sporting a makeshift bandage around his head following a stray Demetrio Albertini elbow, along with a white jersey heavily stained with bright red blood. He should have received several stitches in the wound, but having been informed of the 30 minutes needed to administer the patch-up work, Ince refused the offer and continued to play on which allowed the visitors to remain at full strength throughout. It showed superb comradeship by the former Inter dynamo and proved just how much the result meant to him and his compatriots.
In a manic last few moments, Ian Wright hit the post when most believed he was certain to score, while colossal striker Christian Vieri missed a header in the dying seconds at the other end to effectively seal that precious 0-0 scoreline the underdogs so desired. Once the full-time whistle sounded, England's exhausted heroes fell to the ground in sheer tiredness and relief.They'd produced one of the finest English performances on foreign soil in living memory, defying the odds to conquer Rome and advance to the World Cup finals after an agonising eight-year wait since Italia '90.
Let's hope this latest generation of footballers who are currently entrusted with the country's fortunes at the 2014 World Cup can replicate the same level of pride in the shirt so readily displayed by those on that glorious night in the Italian capital - we might just stand half a chance!
Twitter: @davewh1980
