IRELAND v ITALY ITALY REACTION:MAYBE IT is because they do not use the expression but in the immediate aftermath of Saturday night's pulsating game, Italy's players were not even considering the idea that they might have just got themselves "out of jail".

Whilst all paying full and handsome tribute to Trapattoni’s Republic of Ireland, the Italians argued a draw had been the right result and that to have lost would have been “unjust”.

Typical was this reaction from AC Milan’s experienced defender Gianluca Zambrotta: “Ireland played really well, this is a team that is definitely good enough to go to the World Cup finals . . . A draw was probably the right result, we both had chances to win the game . . . It would have been a bit hard on us to have lost the game in the last five minutes but it would certainly have made our last match against Cyprus very interesting.”

Juventus striker Vincenzo Iaquinta hit a similar note, underlining the terrific sense of determination and self-belief shown by Italy to twice get themselves back into the game: “Ireland are a very tough, physical side but in the end, I think a draw was the right result. We played a really good game but to have gone home with no points would have been a real pity.”

Iaquinta’s Juventus team-mate central defender Nicola Legrottaglie was even more categoric suggesting Ireland had caused Italy problems only at set-pieces: “It wouldn’t have been right if we had lost because we played really well. They gave us a lot of trouble from set-pieces, with the ball in the air but with the ball on the ground, they gave us fewer problems . . . However, I have to say that I said hello to Trap before the game and paid him a big compliment for the job he has done and is doing with Ireland. To have got Ireland to this level is terrific, from here on I will be rooting for Ireland because I would like see them at the finals in South Africa.”

Italian coach Marcello Lippi, widely considered in his homeland to be a “lucky” coach who often seems to have Dame Fortune on his side, was having none of that talk. Asked about Italy’s “luck”, he recalled the Italy-Ireland qualifier in Bari where Italy had played almost the entire game at a numeric disadvantage following the sending-off of Giampaolo Pazzini: “Italy were lucky? Well I hope we’ll be a lot more lucky than that in future, lucky like you lot were to play 11 against 10 against us (in Bari). We pulled off a big result tonight, it simply wouldn’t have been right if we had lost to a goal three minutes from the end.

“The draw was the right result. It wasn’t easy to play here against 75,000 fans but in the end, we didn’t struggle that much. We scored twice against them and we also had a goal disallowed and I am still not sure why,” said the Italian coach.

If the Italian coach and players were convinced the result had been right, the Italian media was rather more sceptical. “Joy For Lippi But Up Front Things Are Wrong”, headlined daily La Repubblica yesterday whilst sports daily Gazzetta Dello Sport summed up the game with a reference to the scorer of Italy’s late, late equaliser, “Lippi and Gilardino, Skill and Opportunism”.

Fabio Licari, senior correspondent for Gazzetta, was distinctly unimpressed by Italy, saying: “The draw was right because neither side had that many chances to win the game even if Ireland really gave it their all throughout the match whereas Italy had periods when they were a bit ‘soft’ . . . If Ireland had won 2-1, we could have had no complaints and would have just had to say, Brava Irlanda. This Irish team is a side with a fantastic midfield and a reasonable defence, but perhaps they are a bit lacking up front.”

On a very “Italian” night, the temple of GAA games, Croke Park, also came in for praise from the Italians. Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini said it had been an “exhilarating” experience to play in such a stadium in front of a passionate home crowd.

“It’s really great to play in an atmosphere like this, that’s the sort of thing that really brings out the best in you and sets you up for the World Cup finals,” he said.

And the villain of the piece, Alberto Gilardino himself? Not surprisingly, he was distinctly over “la luna”, commenting: “To end up going to the World Cup finals after a game like that is even better. It was a battle right to the last but we deserved the draw, their second goal was just the result of a defensive error by us. As for my goal, that’s the most important one I’ve ever scored for Italy.”

We believe him.