GDYNIA, Poland — Marco Tardelli has given Italy fans plenty of joy in the past — now he is concentrating on inflicting a bit of pain on his native country.
Tardelli's euphoric celebration after scoring Italy's second goal in a 3-1 win over Germany in the 1982 World Cup final is among the most iconic images in football.
Now, as assistant to Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni, Tardelli is plotting how to knock Italy out of the European Championship.
Tardelli says he would be "sad" to see Italy eliminated but is focused on delivering a farewell victory for Ireland, which has already been eliminated after an opening 3-1 loss to Croatia was followed by a 4-0 drubbing by Spain.
Italy needs to beat Ireland on Monday to reach the quarterfinals.