By Frank Shouldice

Rep. of Ireland 1 Czech Republic 1

AFTER the debacle in Cyprus, Wednesday’s European Championship qualifier kicked off in one of the strangest atmospheres that ever preceded an international at Lansdowne Road. A sort of wake for Steve Staunton.

On a calm mild night perfect for football many in the 35,500 crowd came expecting another heavy defeat, heralding Staun-ton’s swansong after just three competitive games. Media coverage leading up to kick-off demanded his dismissal after dismally losing 5-2 in Nicosia and yet by the end of scrapping for 90 minutes against the Czechs, Staunton had at least secured himself a stay of execution.

Kevin Kilbane’s 62nd minute strike gave Ireland the advantage for brief minutes. And then Jan Koller undid scenes of immense joy at the Irish dugout when he equalized to tie it all up. And that was how the game finished, particularly after Robbie Keane blew a late chance to steal it.

With his limited squad severely depleted by injuries, Staunton called up Paul McShane to make his debut at center half, alongside John O’Shea. Goalkeeper Wayne Henderson replaced Paddy Kenny and left-back Stephen Kelly was also drafted into a seriously realigned defense.

Lee Carsley also made his return to the international stage. Staunton might finally accept he got it tactically so wrong in Cyprus without a holding player in the center, but Carsley stepped comfortably into the role just behind Jonathan Douglas, Andy Reid and Kilbane. Front-runners Damien Duff and Keane completed the 4-4-2 line-up, and fans could only hope for a wholesale turnaround from the team that collapsed so spectacularly just four days earlier.

Carsley put a little bite into his early tackles, and the Czechs soon realized they were facing something of a backlash from Group D’s fourth-seeds. After five minutes Kelly made the first real break, releasing Keane past the defensive cover on the left. His low cross flew across goal, but nobody in a green shirt could connect.

Duff then had an effort deflected out for a corner and the crowd responded to what was honest endeavor from a mixed-bag Irish team.

The best chance fell to Douglas when Kilbane’s throw-in passed by Keane. The young midfielder found himself with time inside the box but Petr Cech got his outstretched leg to Douglas’ low shot and the ball spun out for a corner.

O’Shea then headed over when Reid delivered a dipping cross, but the Czechs immediately showed their worth, countering dangerously through Tomas Rosicky and Milan Baros on a breakaway that almost yielded a goal.

McShane did brilliantly on the towering Jan Koller. The 20-year-old competed for every ball and Koller rarely got any space to combine with Rosicky. The Monaco striker then blocked a Reid drive and O’Shea cut out the danger when Koller threatened to get onto a Rosicky corner.

In a well-contested game the Czechs looked a little more cautious than we might have expected them to be. Tomas Ujfalusi tried his luck with a half-volley from 20 yards and another driven cross by Keane eluded the in-rushing Douglas.

The visitors’ cutting edge remained in Koller’s aerial threat and swift counter-attacks usually orchestrated by Rosicky. Five minutes from the break they stole downfield with a four-to-three advantage only for McShane to make a crucial interception at the expense of a corner.

Finnan then gave Reid a shooting chance which Cech smothered, and Henderson did likewise with a snap-shot by Jaroslav Plasil. The last action of the half saw Reid perform some trickery out on the right and when Duff cut inside, his angled shot flew outside Cech’s right post.

Even at 0-0 the home crowd rose to Staunton’s players. If nothing else it was a huge collective effort, the likes of which we have come to expect from every Irish international soccer team.

The players restarted strongly, with Carsley sending Reid through on a half chance. Kilbane, looking far more comfortable on the left side of midfield, also offered Reid sight of goal after a positive run.

It was hard to see where an Irish goal would come from. Keane was again quite anonymous -– international captaincy has done little for his game –- and Duff, as we now come to expect, was double-teamed whenever he got the ball.

And yet after 61 minutes the breakthrough came. A poor throw by Cech was retrieved by Duff. The winger set off on a run down the right, firing a low ball which Kilbane met firmly from eight yards. It was Kilbane’s sixth international goal but the whole team raced to Staunton at the dugout in wild celebration, almost a reprieve for the shambles in Cyprus.

The whole stadium erupted, but just as the crowd found its voice Koller stole a yard on McShane and fired right-footed past Henderson from just inside the box. It was a fine strike and some 3,000 Czech fans behind the goal received it ecstatically. Alan O’Brien and Alan Quinn replaced Kilbane and Reid and the game ticked out without any real prospect of a winner.

With three minutes remaining, however, Duff then carved open a gilt-edged chance. His mazy run down the right turned the Czech defense inside-out, but when he delivered a perfect cross Keane fluffed his header from five yards. It was a dreadful miss from the Irish captain and hard to credit for a player who ranks as Ireland’s foremost international goal scorer.

And so it ended all square, a little pride restored to the green jersey even if Ireland’s qualification from Group D is well out of reach. With just one point from three games this is no more than a rebuilding exercise. Passion and spirit will do for starters; the rest will follow if any of the young talent in our modest senior squad matures as hoped. By the end of business at Lansdowne Road Staun-ton could breathe a big sigh of relief.

“The players were magnificent,” he told reporters who had spent the previous four days baying for blood. “Every one of them. The senior players led by example tonight but Paul McShane, Wayne Henderson and Stephen Kelly all did brilliantly. It was different tonight because the back four didn’t make mistakes. They knew they had to put in a performance for the supporters who were magnificent. The players produced what they can produce. I have full faith in them.

“They stood up to the mark tonight. It’s great and I hope everyone is fit next time. We could have won tonight. We have two good games ahead now -– San Marino home and away. The luck will change but it only changes with hard work. Nothing less than what went in effort-wise tonight will be needed.”

GERMANY keep their 100 percent record in Group D by virtue of a 4-1 win in Slovakia while Wales saw off Cyprus 3-1 in Cardiff.

NORTHERN Ireland continued their fine run with a 1-0 home win over Latvia, the goal created out of nothing by David Healy. England suffered a 2-0 defeat in Croatia and Scotland went down to Ukraine by the same scoreline.