WOMEN'S HOCKEY: LOFTY OLYMPIC ambitions came tumbling down around the ears of the Ireland team as they lost 2-0 to Italy at the Beijing hockey eliminator in Vancouver at the weekend.
So fixated on the prospect of meeting mighty Korea in the final, they were sent sprawling by the underestimated banana skin presented by the Italians.
Needing only a draw to reach the decider, Gene Muller's team never appeared to be playing for the win against opponents who showed the greater urgency throughout the match at Vikes Field.
The price for their conservatism was paid in the form of two goals in the closing quarter-hour, the first a Chiara Tiddi penalty corner and the second a diving strike from the ever-inventive Francesca Faustini.
Coach Muller set up his team as normal, with Emma Clarke lining out at the centre of midfield, sporting an extravagant bandage as a souvenir of Thursday's close encounter with the stick of the Korean goalie Lim Ju Young.
The Irish started in sprightly enough manner, Jenny McDonagh and Julia O'Halloran throwing a few promising shapes in the Italian circle.
But McDonagh was soon required to switch roles and start working the pumps at the other end of the pitch, charging down the penalty corners as their rivals pressed forward.
The game was tense and scoreless up to the interval, but the Italians already were well ahead on points, as measured by corners won (4-2) and territory gained.
On the resumption, some fancy camogie-inspired stickwork from the Ireland captain, Eimear Cregan, briefly lifted the fretting Irish section of the crowd and soon afterwards Emma Clarke came close to breaking the deadlock.
The chance came from a free smacked hard towards goal by Ciara O'Brien, and Clarke set the ball zipping up off her stick to take a splinter from the top of the crossbar.
The close call might have been the summons Ireland needed to drive on and seize the initiative but instead they withdrew once more into their shell.
Maria Victoria Corso's rampages up the right flank set the tone and, at their sixth attempt, the Italians finally concocted a corner move to defeat Mary Goode.
The keeper was wrong-footed by Tiddi's direct strike on 56 minutes, leaving the Irish less than a quarter of an hour to stage a recovery.
Within three minutes, unfortunately, they were hamstrung by the yellow carding of Bridget McKeever for stick chopping, and by the time she emerged from the sinbin her side were even deeper in the mire.
The second goal, on 62 minutes, was scored by the prone 32-year-old Faustini, who celebrated by picking herself up to race into the outstretched arms of coach Fernando Ferrara at the dug-out.
Faustini and Farrara clearly felt there was now no way back for the Irish and they were right, though Goode was pulled off to make way for Cliodhna Sargent as Muller abandoned defence.
"They fed off our mistakes - and we made enough of them," reflected the coach when picking through the entrails of this disastrous defeat. It was a really hollow experience all in all and as it sinks in it feels even worse."
Fortune favoured the brave, with Italy given a crack at Korea for the invitation to the Games, while timid Ireland are consigned to the bronze-medal play-off against hosts Canada.
OLYMPIC QUALIFIER, Vancouver Day five Malaysia 3, Uruguay 0; Korea 4, Canada 0; Italy 2 (C Tiddi, F Faustini), Ireland 0.
Final standings after round robin matches: 1, Korea 15pts; 2, Italy 10pts; 3, Ireland 9pts; 4, Canada 6pts; 5, Malaysia 4pts; 6, Uruguay 0pts. Draw for play-offs: final - Korea v Italy; 3/4th place - Ireland v Canada; 5/6th place - Malaysia v Uruguay.
IRELAND: M Goode, B McKeever, S McCay, C O'Brien, C Parkhill, N Symmons, E Cregan, E Clarke, L Moore, C McKean, J McDonagh. Subs: E Stewart, A Speers, J O'Halloran, L Jacob, C Sargent.
ITALY: L Roberta, C Girotti, R Dinucci, MV Corso, F Faustini, D Possali, J Singh, A Blanco, M Canavosio, C Tiddi, V Quaranta. Subs: C Scandroli, P Lombardi, F Zucca, F Zamboni, J Obrist.
Umpires: W Stewart (Canada), L Roach (Australia).
