Brave, but show's over

SOCCER/Czech Republic 1 Rep of Ireland 0:Much had been made in the wake of Saturday's late slip-up in Bratislava of this Irish side's inability to win the ties they led. At the Sparta stadium last night it was their powers of recovery that became the issue, but here too, alas, Steve Staunton's men proved frustratingly consistent.

The Republic have not salvaged something from a competitive game in which they trailed since the 2002 World Cup finals, but they did at least leave the pitch knowing they had given their all and stretched a side that is, on paper at least, superior.

Having been behind from the 15th minute against a team that had briefly threatened to overwhelm them, the Irish battled their way through a much more even second period despite having been reduced to 10 men for almost half an hour by the dismissal, for what was judged a dangerous challenge, of Stephen Hunt.

He, like Paul McShane, will now miss the visit of Germany to Croke Park next month because of suspension.

It won't matter much, though, for the team's slender hopes of qualifying for next summer's European Championships were ended here by a Czech side that confounded their critics over the opening half an hour before showing all the flaws they have been accused of in an intensely competitive second period.

Their composure severely tested, it seemed, by the vigour with which a determined Irish side reacted to the sending off, Karel Bruckner's men were fortunate to survive a Petr Cech error late on when McShane miscued his attempt to guide a loose ball home.

For all of that, though, the visitors had one or two let-offs in the closing stages, with Stephen Kelly having to clear off the line and Shay Given, inevitably, obliged to produce a couple of decent saves. Ultimately, though, the Irish emerged with some pride from a game in which their opponents had done enough to earn all three points.

The way in which the home side had opened the Irish up for the goal made one immediately fearful that there would be worse to come. The move started with a quick free on the edge of their area and ended with Marek Jankulovski pulling off a swift exchange of passes with Jaroslav Plasil before sidestepping Richard Dunne and pushing the ball low past Given.

It was no more than the Czechs deserved after a spell of pressure that bore first fruit less then two minutes in when Tomas Galasek played a fine, low through ball for Milan Baros, and McShane did well to keep him at bay.

Jankulovski looked as though he had abandoned all thought of defensive duties himself as he repeatedly swept past first Aiden McGeady and then John O'Shea.

The Milan defender almost set up a second for the locals six minutes after the first when, after Tomas Rosicky had fed the ball out wide, an unmarked Libor Sionko narrowly failed to make proper contact with a fine cross.

Matters threatened to get worse when O'Shea, 10 minutes after he had caught his studs in the turf andhurt his knee, limped off, to be replaced by a man the home support had been waiting for, Stephen Hunt.

The Reading midfielder was roundly booed every time he went near the ball as a result of last year's tangle with Cech. But his reaction was promising, with the Waterford man skipping past a couple of Czechs before a third arrived to concede a free.

Hunt, indeed, looked impressively lively, adding weight to the case being made by those who felt he should have started in place of McGeady.

Andy Reid, meanwhile, was taking time to get to grips with a game that had passed the Irish midfield by early on. He would have a good second half, but his first contribution had been to take possession 35 yards out from his goal, turn and, without looking, pass directly to an opponent.

A little over half an hour in, though, the Dubliner split the Czech defence with a curling ball for Keane whose first touch, alas, wasn't what it needed to be.

Still, the visitors were starting to bring at least small portions of the game to their opponents who didn't look happy with the challenge. Moments before the break they lost concentration, Dunne put Doyle through on Cech and the striker saw his low shot come back off the inside of the upright.

There seemed some hope for the Irish over the interval.

Early in the second half a fine reaction save from Given kept out Rosicky's shot from the edge of the area, while at the other end McShane might have done better when he tried to turn Reid's corner home had he known just how much time he had.

Moments later Hunt was dismissed for following through on Radoslav Kovac after winning what looked a 50-50 ball. The midfielder deserved to get booked, but the Czech's dramatic reaction, which ended the moment the red card came out, may have prompted the stern punishment.

Staunton reacted by replacing McGeady with Shane Long, and the 20-year-old came within a yard of grabbing his fourth goal at this level within minutes as Reid fed Doyle, whose shot bobbled agonisingly wide of the far post just before the striker arrived.

When Cech's mistake went unpunished, however, it was hard to see the Irish getting another chance to save themselves from defeat. As they continued to press they left themselves open at the other end, but the minutes slipped by without another goal.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Cech (Chelsea); Ujfalusi (Fiorentina), Kovac (Spartak Moscow), Rozehnal (Newcastle United), Jankulovski (Milan); Sionko (Rangers), Rosicky (Arsenal), Galasek (Nuremberg), Polak (Anderlecht), Plasil (Monaco); Baros (Lyon). Subs: Sivok (Udinese) for Galasek (half-time), Vlcek (Sparta Prague) for Sionko (75 mins), Jarolim (Hamburg) for Baros (90 mins).

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Given (Newcastle United); O'Shea (Manchester Utd), Dunne (Manchester City), McShane (Sunderland), Kelly (Birmingham City); McGeady (Celtic), Reid (Charlton Ath), Carsley (Everton), Kilbane (Wigan Ath); Doyle (Reading), Keane (Tottenham). Subs: Hunt (Reading) for O'Shea (38 mins), Long (Reading) for McGeady (63 mins), Keogh (Wolves) for Keane (90 mins).

Referee: K Vassaras (Greece).