Brave battle ends in despair

STEVE STAUNTON’S dream of leading the Republic of Ireland to next summer’s Euro 2008 finals are effectively over after Marek Jankulovski’s first-half winner gave the Czech Republic an almost unassailable Group D advantage.

Reeling from the sending-off of substitute Stephen Hunt on the hour mark for a lunge on Jan Polak, Staunton’s men battled bravely in search of an equaliser but were ultimately fortunate to go down by such a narrow deficit.

Jankulovski’s goal marked a first period of complete dominance by the Czechs, spiked only by Kevin Doyle’s 38th-minute chance in which the Reading man was sent clear by Robbie Keane but hit the post.