Ten-man Ireland fought valiantly to the end, one that would appear to have finished their hopes of reaching the European Championship finals. In an often ill-tempered match against the Czech Republic, their rivals for second place in qualifying group D, they lost not only Stephen Hunt to a second-half sending-off but also the lifeline that a draw could have given them.

Ireland trail the Czechs by six points and, barring a bizarre combination of results over the closing phase of the group, they will not be going to Austria and Switzerland next summer. Steve Staunton, the manager, should hold on to his job when the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign gets under way, but there is likely to be an empty feeling in Dublin when they play Germany and Cyprus next month.

“It’s out of our hands now,” Staunton said. “A lot of results have to go our way and, really, it’s up to what the Czechs do. It’s a tall order, but we’ll give it a go and at least it’s another chance for the younger lads to gain experience before a new campaign.”

Ireland began slowly, going behind in the fifteenth minute when Marek Jankulovski, the left back, slalomed his way through the opposition defence and beat Shay Given with a precise finish. It took the introduction of Hunt, a replacement for the injured John O’Shea, to spark them into life.

Hunt was booed at every touch — it was he who was involved in the collision with Petr Cech that left the Chelsea and Czech Republic goalkeeper with a fractured skull last season — but the abuse seemed to inspire him and his team-mates. Kevin Doyle beat Cech with a low cross-shot, only to see the ball strike the far post.

Ireland’s fortunes dipped in the second half. Hunt was sent off for a rash tackle on Jan Polak, whose writhing antics impressed Kyros Vasseras, the fussy Greek referee. But Staunton saw it a little differently. “It was very harsh,” he said. “Stephen won the ball and it was his momentum that took him through. The player [Polak] got injured but was soon up and running as Stephen left the pitch.”

Despite their lack of numbers, Ireland responded with bravado. Doyle flashed a shot narrowly wide and Paul McShane had a goalbound effort blocked on the line by David Rozehnal, the Newcastle United defender. Another frustrating campaign of “if onlys” appears to be over.

Group D

Czech Republic (4-1-4-1): P Cech – T Ujfalusi, R Kovac, D Rozehnal, M Jankulovski – T Galasek (sub: T Sivok, 46min) – L Sionko (sub: S Vlcek, 75), T Rosicky, J Polak, J Plasil – M Baros (sub: D Jarolim, 89). Substitutes not used: J Blazek, Z Pospech, M Kulic, L Dosek. Booked: Polak, Ujfalusi, Baros, Sivok, Jankulovski.

Ireland (4-4-2): S Given – J O’Shea (sub: S Hunt, 38), R Dunne, P McShane, S Kelly – A McGeady (sub: S Long, 62), L Carsley (sub: A Keogh, 83), A Reid, K Kilbane – K Doyle, R Keane. Substitutes not used: N Colgan, J Douglas, D Gibson, D Murphy. Booked: McShane, Kelly, Keane, Long. Sent off: Hunt.

Referee: K Vassaras (Greece).

Next round of fixtures: Oct 17: Germany v Czech Republic; Ireland v Cyprus; San Marino v Wales.