Glenn Whelan battles for the ball with Slovakia's Miroslav Karhan. Pic: Chris Radburn/PA Wire.

Slovakia 1 Republic of Ireland 1

The Republic of Ireland got back on track in Euro 2012 qualifying with a battling draw against Slovakia in Zilina – but were left to rue Robbie Keane’s missed penalty.

After Sean St Ledger’s opener had been cancelled out by Jan Durica in the 36th minute, the Republic were handed a glorious chance to retake the lead in first-half stoppage time when Aiden McGeady was felled by Jan Mucha.

But the goalkeeper made up for his error with a fine save, and, as Slovakia dominated the second half, the Republic were left hanging on for a point which keeps them level with their opponents in Group B.

Coach Giovanni Trapattoni made two enforced changes from the side that lost 3-2 to Russia on Friday, with injury victims Kevin Doyle and Liam Lawrence replaced by Shane Long and Keith Fahey.

All the talk in the build-up to the match had been about the Republic’s perceived negative tactics against Russia and their reliance on the long ball.

But they dominated possession in the early stages and, after a couple of scares when Kornel Salata headed over and Juraj Kucka shot wide, took a deserved lead in the 16th minute.

Durica fouled Long wide on the right and, when the Slovakia defence failed to deal with Fahey’s free-kick, St Ledger squeezed a shot inside the post.

Midfield duo Whelan and Paul Green, who had struggled so badly against Russia, were enjoying a much more productive night, and for the most part the hosts were kept penned in their own half.

The Republic were, though, lucky to escape when Aiden McGeady’s mistake allowed Radoslav Zabavnik to drill in a cross that Eric Jendrisek just failed to convert.

Then, in the 36th minute, from the first corner of the game, Slovakia equalised as Hamsik’s cross was flicked on for Durica to power a header in off the crossbar.

The Republic arguably should have retaken the lead four minutes later after great work from Long down the right but, stretching, Keane could not get enough of a touch to turn it in.

The visitors were then dealt a blow when Green picked up an injury and had to be replaced by Darron Gibson.

With the half entering injury time, the Republic were presented with a glorious chance to move back ahead when Mucha was adjudged to have brought down Aiden McGeady as he ran onto a through-ball from Richard Dunne.

Keane stepped up but his penalty was too close to the keeper, who made up for his mistake in the best possible fashion.

The visitors were almost carved apart in the opening moments of the second half as first Vladimir Weiss and then Hamsik ran through the middle before a vital block from St Ledger averted the danger.

Slovakia had come out with renewed purpose and Shay Given nearly paid the price for taking too long to clear as Stanislav Sestak closed in, with the ball cannoning off the striker but away from goal.

In a reverse of the first half, it was the Republic who were camped in their own half, with Whelan’s ambitious volley from 40 yards the sum total of their efforts as the clocked reached 65 minutes.

Shortly afterwards, Tomas Hubocan also tried his luck from distance but with much greater purpose, the defender’s drilled shot from 25 yards drawing a decent save from Given.

Trapattoni made his first substitution in the 71st minute, bringing on Andy Keogh for Fahey, while his opposite number introduced Stoch and Filip Holosko.

Former Chelsea youngster Stoch immediately looked dangerous and, if there was going to be a winner, it seemed certain to come from the men in white as they continued to dominate.

Holosko headed another Hamsik corner wide while substitute Tomas Oravec failed to make clean contact with a header from 10 yards out.

The Republic had a good chance with five minutes to play when the ball broke to Keane eight yards out but, after turning smartly, the captain could not keep his shot down.

It was not to be Keane’s night but the Republic may look back on this result as very much a point gained.

By Eleanor Crooks

The eagerly anticipated first match in the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2012 qualifying campaign will be screened live on Setanta Sports at 1am AEST on Saturday morning (September 4).

Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni is hoping captain Robbie Keane’s lack of football at Tottenham so far this season will work in his country’s favour.

The 30-year-old striker has managed just two appearances as a substitute for Spurs to date, sparking weeks of speculation that he could leave the club during the transfer window.

However, the deadline passed last night with no sign of a move, and he flew out to Armenia today with his mind focused firmly on the task of returning with three points in the Republic’s Euro 2012 qualifying account.

Indeed, Trapattoni is keeping his fingers crossed that Keane’s lack of recent activity will mean he is fresher than ever.

“Robbie is mature. I have spoken to him about whether he should stay with his club, and I said to him, ‘Sure, your club need you’, the Italian said.

“He is balanced in his mind about football because he knows from many years in England, he knows the situation.

“But I am selfish and at the moment. For Ireland team, it is better he has played a few games.

“He is proud and I’m sure he can play like the Robbie Keane we know.”

Keane was able to train at Malahide yesterday without the protective knee brace he had worn the day before, and he was joined on the flight to Armenia by defenders Richard Dunne and Darren O’Dea, who are expected to shake off muscle and knee injuries respectively.

They were accompanied too by 33-year-old full-back Kevin Kilbane, who has been handed the task of helping to nurse a new generation Ireland stars through their formative moments on the international stage, 13 years after winning his first senior cap against Iceland.

The Hull defender, who is in line to win his 105th senior cap on Friday evening, did consider retiring from international football following the controversial World Cup play-off defeat by France in November last year.

However, having decided to fight for his place with the likes of Manchester City’s 19-year-old Greg Cunningham fast emerging from the ranks, he has been asked by Trapattoni to keep an eye on some of his younger colleagues.

13 years after winning his first senior cap against Iceland”The kids want take the shirt off your back, and will do if you are not performing. We have two or three coming in with real quality.

“We haven’t qualified [for a major tournament] in five or six years, and so young lads have had no real no chance to shine,” Kilbane said.

“This is the time for lads like Kevin Doyle to shine, and we need to qualify so they can have their chance on a big stage.”

“The question was asked at the end of the last campaign about Robbie [Keane], Damien [Duff] and even John O’Shea, but they are key for us.

“I think they all still want to be a part of a team going to a tournament finals, and this is the chance.

“We have never had a massive pool of players, but we are very much a team together.

“It would be all too easy when you are not involved in every game to walk out and say, ‘I have had enough’.

“No. I will sit around and see what happens. I love it, it’s the pinnacle for me.

“I spoke to my family and they made it clearer for me and I took plenty of other advice.

“If anyone thought it was time for me to go, that wasn’t said and it’s nice to hear that people want me to stay around.”

Keeper Shay Given is also in line for a record 105th appearance for Ireland at the Yerevan Republic Stadium.

Trapattoni has been dealt a series of injury blows ahead of the game with Paul McShane joining midfielders Damien Duff, Keith Andrews and Keith Treacy in pulling out of the squad.

Duff has been ruled out with a calf injury and McShane has withdrawn with a hamstring injury. Both Andrews and Treacy are battling groin strains.

Republic of Ireland midfielder Glenn Whelan cannot wait for the chance to put his World Cup misery behind him as he targets European success.

The 26-year-old Stoke player, like the rest of his team-mates, was shattered by the Republic’s controversial play-off exit in Paris as France squeezed through to what turned out to be a disastrous campaign in South Africa with a helping hand from Thierry Henry.

Andorra head for Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on October 8, and a maximum points haul would give Giovanni Trapattoni’s men just the start they desire, and send a message to Group B rivals Russia and Slovakia.

Whelan said: “Because of what happened in the last campaign, everyone was just hoping for this to come around as soon as possible.

“Hopefully with this campaign here, everyone can forget about what happened in Paris.

“We are not going into any campaign thinking, ‘Let’s go for second’.

“We are definitely going for top and hopefully that’s the case.

“We know we have some tough places to go to and we are going to have some hard games, but we can just worry about ourselves. That’s what we are going to do and hopefully qualify.

“It doesn’t matter if we are playing Armenia or Russia, we will worry about ourselves.”

A disconsolate Irish skipper Robbie Keane at the final whistle in Stade De France

The global Irish football family is inconsolable after a blatant hand ball by French superstar Thierry Henry created a goal for Arsenal’s William Gallus that put Ireland out of the World Cup.

The French goal came in the second period of extra time after Robbie Keane had fired Ireland back into contention with a fine goal on 33 minutes.

That made the score 1-1 on aggregate after Nicolas Anelka’s deflected goal in the first leg.

But the home-side celebrated the crucial winner despite loud protests from th heartbroken Irish camp.

Defender Sean St Ledger said the Republic of Ireland feel “robbed” after France’s controversial winning goal in their World Cup qualifying play-off.

Thierry Henry clearly handled the ball before setting up his former Arsenal team-mate William Gallas to head Les Bleus into the finals in South Africa next summer.

St Ledger told Sky Sports News: “We got robbed, you can tell by the boys’ reaction it hit his hand blatantly.

“We feel cheated – we were the better team over the two legs, every football fan in the stadium will say we were the better team tonight.

“It’s cost a lot of us our dreams – as a boy I used to dream of playing in the World Cup, and now I’m not.”

And the 24-year-old, on loan at Middlesbrough from Preston North End, called for video technology to be introduced to prevent such controversies in the future.

“I don’t understand why we haven’t got replays in this day and age,” he continued.

“You can get replays within 10, 30 seconds and it would have helped today.”

While St Ledger was critical of Henry for his part in the incident, he did not feel the forward’s reputation in the game would suffer.

He added: “He’s said it hit his hand accidentally but if you look at it you can clearly see it hits his hand twice.

“I’m not sure (his reputation) has been tarnished – it doesn’t look great but he’s got his team to the World Cup finals.

“If it had been one of our team we’d have probably done the same.

“The blame doesn’t necessarily fall on him but he’s handled it, everyone can see it around the world.”

The failure of the officials to spot the handball casts a further shadow on the play-offs. For the first time, FIFA seeded the European play-offs, sending a clear message that they wanted Portugal, France, Greece and Russia in the finals next year over Bosnia, Ireland, Ukraine and Slovenia.

They got three out of four.

But some commentators have gone as far as suggesting that Henry, one of the world’s best players, almost dared the official to call his blatant handball.

Victory over the course of the tie spared France manager Raymond Domenech further abuse, although when the dust settles, his critics may be far from appeased.

Keane had been at pains to insist at Ireland’s pre-match press conference at the Stade de France that the tie was far from over, but few outside the Irish camp were completely won over by his optimism.

However, by the time the half-time whistle sounded, the men in green both on and off the pitch were starting to believe.

Lassana Diarra’s assertion in Dublin, which caused such consternation, that the tie was over, proved hugely inaccurate as the French turned in an insipid display in which they enjoyed far less possession than they did at Croke Park and did virtually nothing with it.

Republic keeper Shay Given was a virtual spectator for much of the half, and as the men in front of him grew in confidence, it was the visitors who started to make an impression.

Patrice Evra had already had to climb high to prevent Liam Lawrence from connecting with Duff’s 18th-minute cross and the Stoke midfielder, once again preferred to Aiden McGeady on the right, was in the thick of the action once again six minutes later.

He met Kevin Doyle’s cross at the far post to head the ball down for Keane and only the vigilance of keeper Hugo Lloris, who rushed from his line to punch clear before the striker could pounce, spared France.

There was panic among Les Bleus once again with 26 minutes gone when Lawrence crossed from the right and Doyle glanced a header across the face of goal.

It was all very encouraging for the Irish, and their prayers were answered 13 minutes before the break.

Duff was gifted acres of space on the left to make his way to the goal-line before looking up and picking out Keane with the perfect pass.

The striker gleefully side-footed the ball past Lloris and into the bottom corner to set France back on their heels and blow the tie wide open.

Domenech’s side attempted to respond but their reaction was lukewarm, and the home crowd, having booed both their own manager and President

Nicolas Sarkozy when their respective images appeared on the stadium’s big screens, repeated the dose as the teams left the pitch at the break.

Their mood would have taken a significant turn for the worse had Ireland made the most of a glorious opportunity within two minutes of the restart.

Giovanni Trapattoni and his players had spoken repeatedly about France’s perceived weakness from set-pieces in the run-up to the tie, and they had been disappointed not to exploit it at Croke Park on Saturday.

But they very nearly did just that when Lawrence curled a 47th-minute free-kick to the far post where the unmarked O’Shea, perhaps astonished to be given so much time and space, controlled on his chest only to volley high over.

Once again the French response was tepid, and although Given was called upon to make his first real save with 54 minutes gone, Anelka’s long-range effort never troubled him.

But as the home side pushed men forward, they became increasingly vulnerable, and Trapattoni’s men were presented with a gilt-edged opening with 61 minutes gone.

Lawrence’s defence-splitting pass put Duff in on goal, but the winger was denied by the impressive Lloris as he pulled off yet another vital stop.

Anelka glanced a header wide at one end and Keane rounded Lloris but could not get in a shot at the other as the game became increasingly frantic.

Given had to claw away an Anelka cross deep into injury time, but Ireland more than deserved their extra 30 minutes.

However, Ireland’s luck deserted them 13 minutes into extra-time when Henry handled Florent Malouda’s delivery before crossing for Gallas to score