Now it’s a knock-out

GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI’S belief that Ireland can punch above their weight has convinced him his team will deliver a knock-out blow in the World Cup play-offs – no matter how heavyweight the opposition proves to be.

France and Russia are two of the confirmed top seeds in next Monday’s pot, with Portugal and Greece the current favourites to join them, but in the wake of the dramatic 2-2 draw with world champions Italy, Trapattoni believes that Ireland is a team none of the supposed bigger guns will want to meet.

“Saturday gave me confidence that, with that attitude, we can play against any team,” the manager said yesterday. “For Italy, there is the show. We have other, different qualities. If it had been a boxing match, Italy would have won by 55 points to 45. We must not be blind. But this is not boxing, this is football – and we could have won the game. We can have confidence about our next opponent. I think we have become a famous team.”