Italia90 was some party but 86 years ago today we came very close to reaching Italia34. Drawn with Belgium and the Netherlands with two to qualify we were favourites to top the group. A run of three wins v the Belgians was halted by a 4-4 draw in Dublin. 1\\
A draw in Amsterdam on April 8th 1934 would have been enough bar a mathematical miracle. Hopes were high of repeating a 2-0 win earned a couple of years before on Dutch soil. Johnny Squires and Paddy Moore had us 2-1 in front with a quarter of the game remaining. 2/
The Dutch equalised in front of 38,000 fans and three goals in the last 12 minutes gave the hosts a flattering 5-2 win. They subsequently won 4-2 in Antwerp to top the group. Goal average was used to separate teams level on points so Belgium qualified by .083 of a goal 3/
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