Bitter end to Irish finals bid

Ireland...1  Yugoslavia...2  A goal from substitute Igor Burzanovic with virtually the last kick of the game put Ireland out of the UEFA championships as Yugoslavia deservedly qualified for the finals in Denmark at the end of next month.

It was tears and heartbreak all round for the Irish youngsters as an unfortunate mistake by goalkeeper Paul Murphy gifted Yugoslavia their winner three minutes into stoppage time right at the death.

The Republic merely had to defend a free kick in from the left by Dusko Tosic.

But his low drive was clumsily spilled at his left-hand post by Murphy and Burzanovic reacted well to sidefoot home the rebound.

In truth, it was no more than Yugoslavia deserved, though Ireland had battled away to get back into the match after falling behind to a Simon Vukcevic header on 58 minutes.

Ireland's other Paul Murphy equalised five minutes later when scoring from a penalty.

Despite one or two knocks and his usual penchant for freshening up his teams in these tournament situations, manager Brian Kerr somewhat surprisingly named an unchanged team for the third time this week.

Despite a chance within two minutes, when Richie Ryan blazed a 20-yard free kick over the top after Srda Knezevic chopped down Paul Murphy as he ran through the middle from Andrew Cousins' ball, the Republic appeared nervous as the more composed Yugoslavia exposed them at the back on several occasions.

The only surprise at the break was that Yugoslavia weren't in front.

The threat from the athletic and technically better Yugoslavs was evident from the fifth minute when Eddie Keyes dived into a tackle he missed on Milos Zivkovic who skipped away down the right; his cross just a little too long for Dusan Mihajlovic who, stetching, headed wide.

Paul Murphy held a drive from Simon Vukcevic before the same player burst through from midfield to power a low shot a whisker wide of Murphy's right-hand post.

Murphy was busy again on 18 minutes when failing to hold a shot that came at him through a forest of legs from Zivkovic, before his poor clearance a minute later almost cost a goal.

The ball ran to impressive Yugoslav skipper Miroslav Lecic, whose shot from distance was stopped yards form the Republic's goal-line by Henry McStay.

The home side were only in the game in fits and starts and the pace of Alan O'Brien down the left exposed Yugoslavia on 35 minutes; Igor Baleric parrying his shot which was put out for a corner by a defender.

Yugoslavia held their grip on the game into the second half and were rewarded with the lead goal on 58 minutes.

It was just the lift they needed after substituting their captain Lecic. Tosic put plenty of pace on his free-kick in from the left, and Vukcevic came in on the diagonal run to head home his fourth goal of the week.

But morale and spirit is never a problem in an Irish youths side and they battled back to level within five minutes.

The pressure from a second successive corner unsettled the Yugoslavs and Mihajlovic handled Willo Flood's cross. Murphy held his nerve to send Baletic the wrong way form 12 yards. But the sting in the tail was to come.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Murphy (Leeds United); O'Mahoney (Kingdon Boys), Deans (Stella Maris), McStay (Leeds United) Keyes (Leeds United); Flood (Manchester City), Cousins (Leeds United), Ryan (Sunderland), O'Brien (Newcastle United); Bermingham (Manchester City), Murphy (Manchester City). Subs: Corr (Leeds United) for Bermingham (75 mins).

YUGOSLAVIA: Baletic; Zivkovic, Pajovic, Knezevic, Tosic; Stanceski, Nisic, Mihajlovic; Lecis, Vukcevic, Purovic. Subs: Burzanovic for Lecic (inj. 57 mins.).

Referee: F Meyer (Germany).