Ireland defender Richard Dunne admitted to some "disappointment" after yesterday evenings draw at home to Bulgaria - but is still confident of progression from World Cup Qualifying Group Eight.
Ireland scored via Dunne after only 40 seconds at Croke Park but were pegged back by a Kevin Kilbane own goal in the second half.
It was an outcome which, along with Italy's 2-0 win at Montenegro, means Giovanni Trapattoni's team will head to his homeland this week three points adrift of their table-topping opponents.
Bulgaria remain a further seven points behind the Republic, and Dunne told Sky Sports 1: "They are a good side. They knew how bad a situation it would be for them if they lost - and they made it difficult for us.
"We started really well and really should have been pushing on."
The eventual draw left Dunne equivocal - but still believing Ireland can put Italy in the shade.
"I think for us, we had to keep the seven-point gap - minimum," he said.
"It is a disappointing result - we are disappointed not to get the points - but we are still in a good position.
"We've said all along we don't fear Italy, so we feel we can go there on Wednesday and get a result."
No comments:
Post a Comment