Ireland's fans celebrate after qualifying for Euro 2012. (Pic: Niall Carson/PA)

“Tell the Government to recapitalise the credit unions,” shouted one ecstatic football fan. “We’re going to Poland!”

A sea of green washed over the streets around Dublin’s Lansdowne Road as devoted supporters roared with joy after Ireland qualified for Euro 2012.

Jubilant fans are already making plans to travel to Poland for the international competition next summer, pushing thoughts of economic doom, gloom and recession to the back of their minds.

Stephen Toner, who drove 100 miles from Belfast to watch the match, was so overjoyed he pledged to name his unborn child Giovanni in honour of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni.

“I’m going to call my kid Giovanni Toner — that’ll be on his birth certificate when he’s born in January,” said a rapturous Mr Toner.

He added that he does not care how much it costs to get to Poland. “I’ll be buying my flights instead of nappies,” he laughed.

Ciaran Egan, from Kildare, tucking into a celebratory hamburger and dressed from head to toe in green, said he was prepared to do three jobs to raise enough cash to get there.

“Tonight has been one of the biggest and best nights,” he said over the sound of honking cars and triumphant chants. “And I can’t wait to do it all again in the summer.”

An emotional Garrett Kelly, Eoin Mannion and Seanie Gaffey, from Athlone, were in Tallinn last Friday for the first-leg away match where Ireland beat Estonia 4-0.

But they said nothing compared with a victory on home soil.

Mr Gaffey said: “Tallinn was unbelievable, an amazing buzz, and we’ve been up on a high from it all week. But nothing beats being home.”

All three are already making plans to call on their Polish friends for a place to stay during the competition.

Meanwhile, Giovanni Trapattoni has praised the resilience of his Republic of Ireland team after seeing them secure their place at the Euro 2012 finals.

The triumph, which was greeted with delirious celebrations by a crowd of 51,151 at the Aviva Stadium, came just a few days short of two years since their controversial World Cup exit at the hands of France.

Trapattoni said: “I am very, very proud for many reasons. We came here with an important objective.

“We have started the last campaign in a difficult group with Italy and then we had France, and we could have achieved qualification.

“But we started again and we have discovered new important options in terms of players. They have shown how important they have been for us.

“We have improved our quality, like against Russia. We have started again with new mentality and the players believe in our system.”

Qualification instantly installed the 72-year-old Italian as a new Irish hero as the nation prepared to decamp en masse to Poland and the Ukraine.

Trapattoni and his assistant Marco Tardelli are keen to sew up new deals with the FAI.

Trapattoni said: “We said we did not want to put any pressure on the FAI but in the future, we will talk about this. It was important for us to have clarity.

“We are all responsible people and we were aware that had we failed with qualification, things could have gone differently. But now, there is clarity on both sides.

“I have said I think we deserve a new agreement, Marco and myself. We are now happy with the squad. We find new players in almost every game.”

:: How seeding shapes up

The draw for the finals will be made in Kiev on December 2.

The pots have been decided on the countries’ UEFA co-efficient rankings, except for the co-hosts.

:: Seedings for Euro 2012

Pot 1: Spain, Holland, Poland*, Ukraine*.

Pot 2: Germany, Italy, England, Russia.

Pot 3: Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Sweden.

Pot 4: Denmark, France, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland

* Poland already allocated to Group A, Ukraine already allocated to Group D.

Keith Andrews (left) celebrates after scoring Ireland's opening goal during the Euro 2012 play-off, first leg at A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia. (Pic: PA)

Republic of Ireland midfielder Keith Andrews would relish the opportunity to pitch himself into battle with England.

The Republic head into Tuesday night’s Euro 2012 play-off second leg clash with Estonia as talks over a first friendly between the sides in Dublin since 1995 continue.

They could meet in May as part of both teams’ preparations for the tournament should Ireland join their neighbours in Poland and Ukraine, and Ipswich man Andrews, who scored the opening goal in Friday night’s 4-0 rout in Tallinn, would welcome that challenge.

The 31-year-old said: “Absolutely, it would be fantastic. We haven’t played England in such a long time.

“They have well and truly qualified for the Euros and it would be nice to pit ourselves against them.

“They had a fantastic result yesterday. We play against them week in, week out in the Premier League, and to play against them would be something I am sure both sets of fans would love.”

:: Kelly out

Asked if he would prefer to play against England at next summer’s finals rather than in a friendly, Andrews replied with a smile: “It would be nice, yes, we would settle for a 1-0 win maybe in the group stages if we got them.

“But I am sure it would be a fantastic game if that could be sorted.”

Team-mate Stephen Hunt, however, would certainly prefer to face Fabio Capello’s men when it matters.

He said: “Listen, if we play against England, I would rather play against them in the tournament than a friendly because let’s be honest about it, friendlies are irrelevant.

“It would be nice to beat them, of course. They are our main rivals and they play against Wales and Scotland all the time.

“It would be nice to play against them of course, but I would prefer it at the tournament.

“I go out in every game to play well for my country, but it would be special, if we qualify, to play against Spain in the first game of the tournament, that would be special.”

The last time the sides met at Lansdowne Road, the game was abandoned after just 27 minutes because of crowd trouble.

John Delaney, chief executive of the Football Association of Ireland has confirmed that the fixture is a possibility.

He said: “I think there is a real enthusiasm, particularly from the English FA, to have England in Dublin sooner rather than later.”

Meanwhile, Stephen Kelly is out of the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2012 play-off decider against Estonia on Tuesday night.

The Fulham full-back will miss out with a groin injury, although John O’Shea’s recovery from a hamstring problem means he is likely to replace him.

Assistant manager Marco Tardelli confirmed Kelly’s absence following training in Malahide.

The Italian also revealed that midfielder Damien Duff was able to take part in the session despite returning from Tallinn with a rib injury.

Jonathan Walters (right) celebrates with Robbie Keane (left) after scoring Ireland's second goal during this morning's play-off victory in Tallinn, Estonia. (Pic: Julien Behal/PA)

Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni insisted he was not God despite seeing his side romp to a 4-0 victory over Estonia.

Trapattoni’s decision to hand striker Jonathan Walters a Euro 2012 play-off mission paid off in style as the Stoke frontman, making his first competitive start for his country at the A Le Coq Arena, opened his goalscoring account as the Republic routed nine-man Estonia to take a massive stride towards next summer’s finals.

Trapattoni waited until the last moment to name Walters in the team ahead of West Brom’s Simon Cox having hinted earlier in the week that that was what he might do, and his faith was fully repaid.

He said: “I’m not God, I don’t speak English very well – I don’t speak Italian very well – and I make many mistakes.

“But after 30 years in football, I think I understand it a little bit.

“For this game and on this pitch, I thought Jon Walters would be important to defend the ball and help the team to come up the pitch.

“Jon showed his quality. We got it right.”

Ireland got most things right as they surged to their biggest competitive win under Trapattoni and Estonia’s hopes were torn apart in cruel fashion.

They were already trailing to Keith Andrews’ 13th-minute header when central defender Andrei Stepanov was booked for a second time and sent off.

But they found themselves 3-0 down to Walters’ 67th-minute header and Robbie Keane’s close-range finish four minutes later before skipper Raio Piiroja joined Stepanov in the dressing room as a result of two cautions in quick succession.

Both will miss Tuesday night’s return in Dublin, as will keeper Sergei Pareiko, who will be suspended as a result of the yellow card he was given for protesting at referee Viktor Kassai’s decision to award an 88th-minute penalty for Ats Purje’s trip on fellow substitute Stephen Hunt.

Keane took his international tally to 53 from the spot to seal a thumping victory.

Trapattoni said: “It will be important in Ireland to confirm the result because there are another 90 minutes to go.

“In those other 90 minutes, we will respect our opponents. They will come with a different mentality, a different attitude and a different performance.

“We must repeat our performance.”

It proved a sobering night in Tallinn for Estonia boss Tarmo Ruutli, whose best-laid plans were ripped up long before half-time.

Asked if the tie was over, he said: “Almost”.

Asked further about the role the referee’s decisions had played in the game, he said: “Of course they played some part in the result, but the first two goals, they were our problem, not the referee’s problem.”

Best (right) joins an injury-hit Irish squad. (Pic: Owen Humphreys/PA)

Newcastle striker Leon Best has been drafted into the Republic of Ireland squad for the Euro 2012 play-off against Estonia amid a growing injury crisis.

The 25-year-old former Coventry frontman has been called up by manager Giovanni Trapattoni with West Brom’s Shane Long likely to miss out because of a knee injury.

Best has been in superb form for the Magpies, and his partnership with Demba Ba has been a key feature of the club’s rise to third place in the Barclays Premier League table.

A statement released by the Football Association of Ireland said: “The Football Association of Ireland today confirmed that Newcastle striker Leon Best has been called up into Giovanni Trapattoni’s squad to face Estonia in the Euro 2012 play-offs on November 11 in A le Coq Arena, Tallinn, and November 15 in Aviva Stadium, Dublin.”

Best was not included in the initial 26-man party announced by Trapattoni last week, with the fit-again Robbie Keane, Kevin Doyle, Shane Long, Simon Cox and Jon Walters staffing the striking department.

However, West Brom’s Long was named despite battling against a knee injury suffered during the 2-1 derby victory at Aston Villa on October 22, and the Baggies today admitted he has little or no chance of being fit.

Manager Roy Hodgson said: “Shane is not fit to play. The two doctors are in contact with each other and the Irish doctor knows that he is making good progress and we are working hard with him.

“But he is way off being fit to play a football match.

“If they want to prove that by inviting him over and sending him back again, that’s okay with me.

“But there is no way, unfortunately, he will be fit to play for us at the weekend or for Ireland.

“In fact, there is a lot of work to be done if he is going to be fit to play after the international break.

“It is going to take some time to heal. The initial suggestion was six weeks and Shane would like it to be quicker than that — but it certainly isn’t going to be two weeks.”

There has been a clamour in Ireland for Best’s inclusion anyway following his impressive start to the new campaign.

He scored three times in as many league starts at the beginning of the season, and while he has not added to his tally in his last five appearances, manager Alan Pardew has been delighted with his contribution alongside Senegal international Ba, whose hat-trick secured a 3-1 win at Stoke on Monday night.

However, when asked about the Newcastle player last month, Trapattoni said he was monitoring him, but wanted to see him working harder for his team, something which mystified Pardew.

He will now get the chance to impress the Italian all over again as he attempts to add to his seven senior international caps to date and put himself in contention for a trip to Poland and the Ukraine next summer if Ireland can ease their way past the Estonians.

Trapattoni fielded his first-choice pairing of Keane and Doyle in Andorra last month, and turned to Long’s Baggies team-mate Simon Cox to partner the Wolves man against Armenia four days later with the skipper sidelined by an adductor muscle strain.

Best will meet up with the squad when it assembles in Dublin next week, with a question mark also hanging over Sunderland defender John O’Shea.

The 30-year-old has been ruled out of Sunderland’s league trip to former club Manchester United on Saturday with a recurrence of the hamstring injury which wrecked his pre-season, and manager Steve Bruce admits he is unlikely to be fit for the game in Tallinn.

Bruce said: “He’s certainly got no chance for Saturday, and looking at the first game for Ireland next Friday, I would have thought he’s a huge doubt for that as well, which is a shame for the lad.

“It’s typical of the luck he’s had, unfortunately, since he’s been here. They are probably the two biggest games he has been looking forward to.

“He might have a chance for the second one, but certainly I would have thought the first game would come a little bit too quickly for him.”

On TV: Setanta Sports will show the first leg of Ireland’s Euro 2012 play-off tie against Estonia live from Tallinn at 6.30am on Saturday, 12 November. The second leg will be shown live from Dublin by ESPN at 6:45am, 16 November.  A replay of the game will also be shown by ESPN at 8pm later that day.

Irish medical staff refuse to rule Shane Long out of November play-offs. (Pic: PA)

Setanta Sports has confirmed that it will show the first leg of Ireland’s Euro 2012 play-off  tie against Estonia live from Tallinn at 6.30am on Saturday, 12 November.

The second leg will be shown live from Dublin by ESPN at 6:45am, 16 November.  A replay of the game will also be shown at 8pm later that day.

Meanwhile, the FAI is holding out hope that Shane Long still has a chance of featuring in next month’s crucial games against Estonia.

The initial news seemed to rule him out of both fixtures with the player’s club West Bromwich Albion expecting him to return to fitness in early December.

However, on the eve of Giovanni Trapattoni’s announcement of his preliminary squad for the games this Friday, Irish medical staff indicated that it is still too early to say how long the 24 -year-old’s recovery might take, but that his progress will be monitored over the course of the week.

A scan on the knee injured in a wild challenge by Alan Hutton in West Brom’s defeat of Aston Villa, has shown that Long’s cruciate ligaments are undamaged but, according to the club’s website there is: “severe bone bruising and a small bone chip inside the right knee”.

Long’s availability is of particular concern as Kevin Doyle is suspended for the first leg, while Robbie Keane is a doubt for both games due to injury.

Trapattoni’s most obvious remaining striking option is to pair Long’s club mate Simon Cox with Stoke City forward, Jonathan Walters.

However there also plenty of Irish strikers who have been left out of recent squads who are playing well for their clubs, including Celtic’s Anthony Stokes, Newcastle’s Leon Best and Leeds’ Andy Keogh.

Keogh will hope that his recent form for Leeds has made as much of an impression on Trapattoni as it has on Simon Grayson who says that he may look to sign the Irishman permanently from Wolves when his loan spell at Elland Road runs out in January.

Newcastle’s Best has also repeatedly staked his claim this season with three Premier League goals already this campaign, although Trapattoni has recently suggested that he believes the in-form striker needs to improve his work-rate before being considered.

“I am playing well and scoring goals, me and Shane are on the same amount in terms of Premier League goals. Goals win games and while working hard for the team helps, you can only run as hard as your body will let you,” said Best in response to the Irish manager’s remarks.

Richard Dunne (right) celebrates scoring Ireland's second goal during the Group B win against Armenia on Tuesday night. (Pic: Julien Behal/PA)

Leg 1: November 11, A. Le Coq Arena, Talinn
Leg 2: November 15 at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Estonia stand between Ireland and a place in next summer`s European Championships after the two were paired together in the play-off draw.

Having finished second to Russia in qualifying group B for the tournament, Giovanni Trapattoni’s men must now amend a dreadful two-legged record to book their place in Poland and Ukraine.

They have tasted success just once in the five play-offs they have featured in before now — getting the better of Iran to qualify for the 2002 World Cup — and must make it two wins from six if they are to make what would be only a second appearance at the finals of the European Championships.

Their most recent flirtation with a play-off ended in acrimony, when Thierry Henry’s handball helped France qualify for last year’s World Cup at their expense, while they have also fallen foul of Holland, Belgium and Turkey.

Ireland will start their latest attempt to qualify for a major tournament in Estonia on Friday, November 11, with the return leg at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on Tuesday, November 15.

“It is extremely positive for Ireland that we will play the first leg away,” Trapattoni said.

“We should not underestimate our opposition, or any team, including Estonia.

“To have made it through to the play-off, they must have quality and mental fortitude.

“Our build up to this stage of the competition has shown us the importance of organisation, attention to detail, and self-belief.

“That will be vitally important to us as we prepare for these games in November.”

Tarmo Ruutli’s Estonia emerged from a group containing Italy, Northern Ireland, Serbia, Slovenia and the Faroe Islands to take second place, and with it earn a first-ever play-off berth.

They have never made the finals of a major tournament, and history is not on their side either.

The two historical meetings between the pair have gone the way of the Irish, 2-0 on both occasions in qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, with Richard Dunne on target in each game.

Former Republic of Ireland striker John Aldridge has backed the team to beat Estonia and qualify for the finals.

Asked if he thought Trapattoni’s side would go through, he told Sky Sports News: “Yes. We’ve got the greatest travelling fans and it would be great to see them on the road again.’”

The former Liverpool player believes the Republic were fortunate to draw Estonia.

He said: “It was probably the easiest of the four (unseeded teams to draw).

“We travel better than we play at home, we’ve had better results away than we have had at home.”

Aldridge admitted the suspension of striker Kevin Doyle, still waiting to hear the length of his punishment after being sent off in the qualifier against Armenia on Tuesday which the Republic won 2-1, would be a blow to the team’s chances.

However, he backed Shane Long to fill the breach.

“Shane Long has done really well when he has deputised for either Robbie (Keane) or Kevin so it’s a great opportunity for him,” he said.

Ireland have only reached the European Championship finals once before — in West Germany in 1988 — but will be relatively pleased to have drawn Estonia.

There were tougher-looking assignments in the pot of unseeded teams they could have been put up against, with the other ties seeing Turkey taking on Croatia, the Czech Republic facing Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina going up against Portugal.

Portugal and Bosnia were both losers in winner-takes-all showdowns on Tuesday, with Portugal being defeated by Denmark and with it surrendering top spot in Group H, while Bosnia drew 1-1 with France when a win would have seen them pip Laurent Blanc`s men to the automatic spot in Group B.

The Czechs took second in Group I, winning a two-way tussle with Scotland to finish behind reigning champions Spain.

Skipper Robbie Keane is a major doubt for the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Armenia on Tuesday

Irish skipper Robbie Keane.

evening.

The 31-year-old was sent for a scan today after complaining of soreness in his abductor muscle following his return from last night’s 2-0 victory in Andorra, although manager Giovanni Trapattoni suggested that was precautionary.

However, the Football Association of Ireland this evening confirmed that his participation in the game could be under threat.

A spokesman said: “Following a medical update after training, Giovanni Trapattoni has said that Robbie Keane is a strong doubt ahead of Tuesday’s match against Armenia.”

If Keane does not make it, that will represent a huge blow to Ireland as they attempt to claim the point they need to book a play-off place.

The LA Galaxy frontman is his country’s record international scorer with 51 goals, although he passed up a series of chances to add to his tally last night.

Keane has embarked upon a series of gruelling trans-Atlantic journeys to play for the Republic since heading to the United States, although he insisted earlier this week that he is feeling no ill effects.

One positive for Trapattoni is that his preferred strike-partner for his skipper, Kevin Doyle, looked to be back to his best last night after regaining his match sharpness following a knee problem, while Jonathan Walters also linked up with the squad today after recovering from an ankle injury.

The free-scoring Armenians stand between Trapattoni’s Republic and a place in the play-offs in after Russia effectively ended their hopes of snatching automatic qualification by beating Slovakia.

Should the Russians beat Andorra in Moscow on Tuesday, even victory for the Irish will secure only second place in Group B.

Barring a shock of monumental proportions, Trapattoni’s men seem likely to have to be satisfied with yet another play-off adventure, and a point against Armenia would keep the group’s dark horses at bay.

The Armenians, who lost 1-0 at home to Ireland in the first round of qualifiers in September last year, have won each of their last three games, against Andorra, Slovakia and Macedonia, and scored 11 goals in the process.

But asked if he had been surprised by their late surge, Trapattoni said: “No. Maybe if you know the players who play for Armenia, it is not a surprise.

“The Armenian players play in strong leagues, and some of our players play in the Championship.

“If you think about it, it is no surprise.

“We must play with 100% mentality and 100% attitude and 100% concentration, and be careful of silly mistakes.

“We are in this position because of one or two silly mistakes against Russia, for example.

“Armenia is a very, very strong team. They have scored more goals than us and we must pay very, very much attention.”

The 72-year-old Italian will send his team into their final group game with his own future still undecided amid speculation that he will be offered an extended contract should he guide them to the play-offs.

However, as his second qualifying campaign draws to a close – the first ended in a controversial aggregate defeat by France which denied him a trip to the World Cup in South Africa – Trapattoni is confident significant progress has been made.

He said: “At this stage, I hope I have succeeded in instilling a mentality in our players.

“Unfortunately, I am quite demanding because in the past, I have built this mentality with teams I have previously managed.

“I am very pleased with our way, but we can improve again.

“Yesterday evening, I said we want to look at Manchester United. Obviously, we do not have the players of Manchester United, but with their mentality, with attitude, with balance, I think we can achieve.”

Ireland’s Rugby World Cup exit was unfolding as Trapattoni and his players touched down in Dublin during the early hours of this morning following a gruelling trip back from Andorra.

Trapattoni said: “I am sorry that Ireland lost in rugby against Wales because Brian O’Driscoll and his team are our friends and we wished them to do well.

“But sport is sport and it teaches us that when we have the right mentality, we can achieve every result.”

The nation had been swathed in optimism in the run-up to the quarter-final, but as O’Driscoll and his team-mates prepare to head home, attention will turn to their football counterparts once again.

However, that is a pressure Trapattoni is happy to take on.

He said: “In the first qualifying campaign for the World Cup, we deserved to achieve the minimum of a play-off place.

“You saw the games against France and with a bit of luck – or without bad luck – we could have achieved this.

“We feel this pressure. No, it’s not pressure, it is commitment.”

Left-back Stephen Ward is suspended for Tuesday’s game as a result of his second booking of the competition, but Richard Dunne is available after completing his ban.

Republic of Ireland skipper Robbie Keane is convinced there is another twist to come as the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign reaches the point of no return.

Ireland head into tonight’s Group B clash with minnows Andorra (Setanta Sports, from 9.30am Saturday, delayed) knowing a maximum haul from that game and Tuesday night’s visit of Armenia to the Aviva Stadium will guarantee them a play-off place at worst.

However, should Slovakia beat leaders Russia in Zilina tonight, six points would send Giovanni Trapattoni’s men to next summer’s finals in Poland and Ukraine.

Keane said: “These two games are huge and we have come into them desperate to get the six points to guarantee the play-off.

“But I still think there is a twist here somewhere along the line – and I hope it’s not for us. Hopefully, Slovakia can do us a favour.

“We need to concentrate on our own job and getting six points, focus on tomorrow’s game and getting three points and getting ourselves out of here and looking forward to Tuesday’s game.

“At the start of the campaign, this is what you play for, to be in positions like this.

“Before the campaign, a lot of people would have probably accepted this, but there is still a little twist, I think.”

The shoot-out in Slovakia kicks off before the Republic get underway in the Pyrenees, and while Keane knows avoiding news of what is going on in Zilina may prove difficult, he insists he and his team-mates cannot allow it to distract them.

Keane said: “Eventually, we will find out somehow, but it’s important that we focus on what we are doing rather than looking at Slovakia and Russia.

“I am sure somewhere along the line, someone will say something to us, but it’s important that the players focus on our own job at hand because by no means is this going to be a walk-over.

“It’s going to be a tough game with the conditions and what have you, so we need to be totally 100% focussed on exactly what we have to do. That’s the most important thing.”

Those conditions involve playing on a tight, uneven pitch at 1100m above sea level in front of a crowd which is expected to total only around 800.

Keane has recent experience of playing at altitude with LA Galaxy, but he is adamant that both that and the state of the pitch are largely irrelevant.

He said: “I played a couple of weeks ago. We played a Mexican team and it was quite high altitude.

“In the first 15 minutes of the warm-up, the fitness coaches were telling us to make sure we got a good sweat on first and try to get past that stage where you are breathing quite heavily.

“It’s completely different, but a lot of players have played in it before.

“I haven’t seen the pitch yet, but apparently it’s not too good, so you are not going to be popping the ball about like Barcelona. It’s important to play to our strengths and play to how the pitch is.

“For us, it is just about getting three points and getting out of here.

“It’s very important that we keep focussed and defend well as a team. If we score in the first minute or whether it’s the 80th minute, it doesn’t really matter as long as we come out of here with a win.”

Ireland arrived in Andorra looking for an eighth successive clean sheet, although tomorrow night’s game is likely to unfold very differently to the 90 minutes in Russia which ended in a hard-fought 0-0 draw.

Keane said: “We didn’t play particularly well in Russia – we got battered, let’s be totally honest.

“They played really, really well and had a lot of chances. We didn’t play well, but the most important thing is we got a point out there, and that could be crucial.”

Ireland's Simon Cox and Russia's Sergei Ignashevich during last night's draw at Luzhniki Stadion, Moscow. (Pic: Vladimir Astapkovich/PA).

Russia 0 Ireland 0
Slovakia 0 Armenia 4

Somehow, Ireland are still in with a chance in Group B.

Giovanni Trapattoni’s men clinched a vital 0-0 draw in Moscow overnight as Slovakia went down to a stun 4-0 home defeat by Armenia.

The Slovak result will leave Ireland wondering what could have been had they beaten the side when they visited the Aviva last Friday night.

But it is also a reprieve and means that the Irish have a path to the play-offs.

Nonetheless, Trapattoni saluted Richard Dunne and Shay Given for their heroic performances in a precious 0-0 draw in Russia.

Dunne produced two superb blocks and ended the game with four stitches in a head wound as Ireland managed to cling on for their first ever point in Moscow.

Given was equally resilient as he pulled off a string of fine saves, including a vital late stop from Konstantin Zyryanov, to claim a seventh successive clean sheet for his team which kept them firmly in he race for Euro 2012 qualification.

Trapattoni said of Dunne’s performance: “He was fantastic. I thank God that we had Richard in this game.

“He sacrificed himself because he went back on to the pitch with four stitches. He understood the need to stay on the pitch.

“Shay Given also saved two or three goals. They were fantastic saves.”

Dunne had to have stitches after suffering a head wound in a challenge on Yuri Zhirkov which cost him a second booking in as many games which will rule him out of next month’s trip to Andorra.

He was made to change his shirt, but with no number five replacement on the sidelines, goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly had to write the number on a plain shirt in felt-tipped pen.

Trapattoni said: “In life, these things happen. We forgot the reserve shirt. We wrote the number five and thank God, he went back on to the pitch immediately.”

Ireland were under the cosh almost from the off as Russia set about the task of easing their way further clear in the race for automatic qualification from Group B.

Dick Advocaat’s men blasted their way into a 3-0 lead in Dublin in October before being pegged back to 3-2, and it looked as though there was every chance of them doing something similar on the artificial surface at the Luzhniki Stadium.

However, they had not reckoned with the resilience of and Republic side which kept its seventh successive clean sheet, although just how they managed it is likely to go down in Irish folklore.

Russia might have won handsomely had it not been for Aston Villa pair Given and Dunne, who repeatedly defied the odds to keep the home side at bay.

Given saved from Andrey Arshavin and Igor Semshov before the break, but had to pull off a remarkable stop to keep out Zyryanov’s diving header with just two minutes remaining.

Dunne was equally heroic, and Semshov, who later wasted a glorious opportunity to win the game, may never know how the defender blocked his goal-bound effort before the break before doing the same to repel Roman Shirokov’s shot after it.

Trapattoni was quick to admit that his team had ridden its luck on the night.

He said: “It is impossible not to recognise that we have been lucky in this 90 minutes.

“The determination and the application on the pitch of the team, particularly of the senior players like Richard Dunne, Shay Given, Keith Andrews, Aiden McGeady was the pull for the younger players who gained confidence from them.

“That balance allowed us to achieve what I call a golden point.

“With this result, we can look to the future because we have cleared a big obstacle tonight.

“I told the players St Patrick was looking down on us tonight.”

Russia boss Dick Advocaat could not fault his players for their efforts, but admitted the failure to take their chances had proved costly.

He said: “I always start by saying that I’m happy with the result or not happy with the result so tonight, I will start by saying I’m not happy with the result.

“Without being chauvinistic, Russia played an excellent game, 90 minutes controlling the game and created seven or eight 100% chances, so I can only give my players praise for the way they played tonight.”

Long has started the new Premiership season brightly. (Pic: File)

Ireland v Slovakia
ESPN, Saturday, 4:30am

Shane Long’s rise to prominence has been rewarded by a massive vote of confidence from Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni.

The 24-year-old won a move to the Barclays Premier League this summer when West Brom snapped him up from npower Championship side Reading in a £4.5million deal.

Long’s response was to score in both of his first two games for the club, significantly against Manchester United and Chelsea, to underline his growing stature.

Trapattoni has been aware of his blossoming talent for some time and was confident enough in his ability to turn to him when Kevin Doyle was injured just 20 minutes into the 2-1 qualifier victory over Macedonia in Dublin in March.

But with Doyle fit again, the Italian has decided to pair Long with skipper Robbie Keane in attack for the vital showdown with Slovakia at the Aviva Stadium.

Trapattoni said: “I know the qualities of Shane Long. He is fast and maybe he can put the Slovakia defence in great difficulties.

“I am confident about him. I don’t want to tempt fate, but at the moment, he is scoring goals for his club and he has gained more confidence from doing that.

“Playing against these Slovakia defenders, maybe he can do the same.”

Trapattoni admitted it was a difficult decision to leave Doyle out with one eye on his recovery from that knee injury, but with the other firmly on Tuesday night’s potentially decisive clash at the Luzhniki Stadium.

He said: “I wanted to see him to make sure there was no fear in his head about his injury. I don’t see any fear in him at all.

“I have no doubt I will have the opportunity to play him maybe in the second half, and he can also be ready for Russia.”

Keane and Doyle have formed a formidable partnership in recent seasons, but the Los Angeles Galaxy frontman has no fears about linking up with Long instead.

He said: “If you look at his performances for Ireland in the last year or so, he has been very, very good and he has taken that into performances for his new club.

“The two of them are very, very similar players, so for me, it’s not different whether I played with Shane or Kevin because they are equally as good as each other and they have got really the same qualities.”

Meanwhile, the Slovakia game will see full-back Kevin Kilbane miss a competitive international for the first time since November 1999 because of a back injury, breaking his 66-match run.

Keane said: “He has been absolutely tremendous for Ireland. I don’t think he probably gets the credit he deserves, to be honest with you.

“He has been a great, great player for this country and I’m sure he will continue to be so.”

:: Group B poised

It is crunch time in the Group B as the top three look to find a way to pull clear in this weekend’s Euro 2012 qualifiers.

Ireland, Russia and Slovakia begin the games tied at the top with 13 points.

Ireland perhaps have the hardest task, facing both Russia and Slovakia over the next few days, but the fixture list at least means everything is in their hands.

“These two games are going to be massive in the next five days and it’s important that we try to get maximum points and if not, not to lose any games,” said captain Robbie Keane.

“These two games will dictate whether we qualify or not.”

The Irish face third-placed Slovakia at home first, before a tough assignment in Moscow—- the club base of recalled winger Aiden McGeady — four days later.

Both of Russia’s games this week are at home, a potentially big advantage for Dick Advocaat’s men who will be confident of recording a win over fifth-placed FYR Macedonia tomorrow.

However, they are without talented goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, absent through injury, with Vyacheslav Malafeev likely to start between the posts.

Slovakia, who face Armenia at home on Tuesday night after the trip to Ireland, have been boosted by the return of Miroslav Stoch.

However, coach Vladimir Weiss is wary of both fixtures this weekend, as he knows Armenia, five points behind the leading pack, will be tough to beat at home.

“They play the best football in our group,” he said.

Armenia were 3-1 winners over Slovakia in the reverse fixture, a costly home defeat for Weiss’ men, and a result they need to rectify to keep up the challenge at the top.

Macedonia and Andorra, yet to win a point, both know their own campaigns are over, which has freed Macedonia boss John Toshack to experiment a little as he calls in uncapped trio Daniel Georgievski, Muarem Muarem and Muhamed Huseini.

Andorra face Armenia at home tomorrow.

Republic of Ireland team to face Slovakia: Shay Given, John O’Shea, Richard Dunne, Seán St Ledger, Stephen Ward, Damien Duff, Keith Andrews, Glenn Whelan, Aiden McGeady, Robbie Keane and Shane Long.