Ireland well beaten

Last updated : 09 October 2006 By Al Campbell
Ex-Red Steve Staunton has had a difficult time since taking over as Ireland manager but this is the worst result yet. Losing to Cyprus was a shock but to be hammered 5-2 was a real disappointment.

Steve Finnan returned to his favoured position of right back in the absence of Stephen Carr but the Irish defence as a whole had a night to forget as Cyprus just ran through them. In defence of Finnan and his fellow defenders, they had no support from the Irish midfield who seemed to go AWOL on the night.

This defeat means Ireland must beat the Czech Republic on Wednesday if they are to have even the slimmest of chances of qualifying from the group.

click here