Packy Bonner won his 75th cap as Ireland lost 1-2 to Mexico in Orlando in the World Cup finals in the United States on this day in 1994.
Jack Charlton’s side – having beaten Italy in their opening match in Group E – then went on to draw 0-0 with Norway; and when Italy drew 1-1 with Mexico in the final match of the section, it meant that all four teams finished on four points, leaving the two sides with the best records – Mexico and the Republic of Ireland – to go through to the second round.
Shunsuke Nakamura was born on this day in 1978. After 148 appearances with Yokohama F Marinos and then 81 with Reggina in Serie A, he joined Celtic in 2005 and went to play 128 games for the club during the following four years, with 29 goals to his name. On 22 June 2009, Shunsuke joined Espanyol in La Liga.
Jim Craig
