Kerr struggles to keep smiling

It's not something that he looks like he'll ever get used to, this congratulating the winners and wishing them the best on their big day. Certainly last night it was proving a little difficult for Brian Kerr to keep the smile in place after his Republic of Ireland under-18 team were beaten 2-0 by Italy in the European Youth Championship in Norrkoping, Sweden.

Ireland now play Greece in a third place play-off tomorrow. Italy and Portugal will play for the title.

Kerr found it particularly hard to retain his good humour after he ran into Italian counterpart Rasario Rampanti at the post-match press conference.

Like the game itself, it started brightly enough with the pair shaking hands. The Dubliner uttered something positive and the Italian coach more than repaid the compliment by telling the dozen or so assembled press how his entire game-plan had been dictated by his fear of Irish counterattacks.

Relations quickly cooled, though. When asked about the 72nd-minute sending-off of Liam Miller for two bookable offences, Kerr was typically frank.

"I didn't think it was the right decision, no, but then I thought the referee was fooled out there today. A lot of the Italians fell very easily and the referee was taken in, but unfortunately that's part of life and you simply have to get on with it."

When Rampanti was subsequently asked if he thought his players had displayed a cynicism beyond their tender years, he simply asked the questioner if he had seen the same match.

"I don't think so," added the clearly irate coach before, as soon as Kerr was talking again, taking the first opportunity that came his way to depart.

Kerr, meanwhile, paid tribute to the efforts of his players who had just suffered their first defeat in eight games. He remained confident that his tactics, the 4-3-3 system, and the decision to play with just one out-and-out striker had been correct.

"I'm happy with my tactics, I'm always happy with my tactics because they generally work and they were working out there until the sending-off."

He was, he admitted, a little sad that the last chance of retaining one of the two European titles won last year had passed, but said, with a grin, "the fact is that we weren't beaten by Greece or the Faroes. We were beaten by one of the powers of European football.

"And we have a lot to be proud of because after finishing fourth two years ago and winning last summer, we're going to be playing for third place in a European Youth Championships on Sunday and, for a little nation like ourselves, that isn't too bad now, is it?"