WAS THERE anything Marcello Lippi did not like about last night's game? Yes, there was – the referee, German Wolfgang Stark reports PADDY AGNEW, from Bari

The Italian coach had little doubt the decision to send off Sampdoria striker Giampaolo Pazzini after only three minutes of last night’s qualifier not only was wrong but cost Italy three points.

“I feel a bit bitter about this game, because in my opinion we were victims of an injustice, because to make us play practically the entire 90 minutes without one player, at this level of football and because of a gesture that simply wasn’t violent – frankly that’s an injustice.

“People can say that Pazzini did a really stupid thing, but that’s not true. He jumped high for the ball but there was no violent elbow movement.

“Despite that my lads played really well for a full hour, running very few risks in that period. Then with tiredness, they lost a bit of lucidity and they got that equaliser.

“But, it seems pretty obvious to me that to play 90 minutes on a heavy, wet pitch and a man down, that’s a heavy order.

“That’s why I took off Pirlo at half-time because I could tell this would be a tremendous struggle as the game went on, and for that reason I wanted to play with two holding midfielders. It’s a hell of a thing to play with 10 for 90 minutes and, in the end, we just could not manage it.

“But even in inferiority we came very close to scoring a second goal through that chance that Dossena missed in the second half.”

Lippi argued that for his side to have won last night would have been a quite extraordinary result, given the numerical disadvantage.

As for Ireland, Lippi was measured in his assessment. Asked if Ireland were now clearly the most dangerous rival in this Group Eight, he replied:

“At the moment yes, but I wouldn’t take my eye off Bulgaria, they have a game in hand and could become a problem.

“As for Trap’s Ireland, they’ve never played like this before with so many guys up front and it was normal that they really stretched us in the end.”

As he was winding up, Lippi was joined on the podium by Giovanni Trapattoni. One of the Italian journalists wanted to know just why Italy were so played out of the match in the last half hour. Even Trap nodded as Lippi argued that, at this level, it is simply too hard to give away a man advantage.

“If you want any other explanations,” said Lippi as he stood up and nodded towards his colleague, “then just ask Giovanni, he knows all about it.”

Indeed he does.