Ireland hopes look bleak - Sport in brief - Evening Standard
       

Ireland hopes look bleak

Steve Staunton's dream of leading Ireland to next summer's Euro 2008 finals are effectively over after Marek Jankulovski's first-half winner gave the Czech Republic an almost unassailable Group D advantage.

Reeling from the sending-off of substitute Stephen Hunt on the hour for a lunge on Jan Polak, Staunton's men battled bravely in search of an equaliser but were ultimately fortunate to go down by such a narrow deficit.

Jankulovski's goal marked a first period of complete dominance by Czechs spiked only by Kevin Doyle's 38th-minute chance in which the Reading man was sent clear by Robbie Keane but hit the post.

Hunt gave the Republic the momentum to at least make a game of it after his introduction seven minutes the break, but his straight red card realistically signified the end of the Irish challenge.

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