Football: Breen's dream start not enough

Czech Republic 2 Republic of Ireland 1

DESPITE the encouragement of an early goal from the Coventry City centre- back Gary Breen, an experimental Republic of Ireland side slipped to a narrow defeat in yesterday's friendly international against the Czech Republic.

The youngest team ever put out by the manager, Mick McCarthy - average age below 23 - eventually ran out of steam against the Euro 96 runners- up.

Breen, one of the more experienced internationals in McCarthy's team, rammed home his second goal in 13 appearances after some clever work by the Blackburn winger, Damien Duff, who was making his debut.

The fleet-footed teenager forced a corner with a forceful run down the left. Gary Kelly's flag-kick was flicked on by Everton's Gareth Farrelly and Breen lost his marker to shoot home after nine minutes.

The Czechs battled back - literally - as they tried to impress their new coach, Josef Chovanec, in his first match in charge. Pavel Kuka was lucky to stay on the pitch when he clearly punched Ireland's captain, Kenny Cunningham, full in the face. The two players squared up but the referee, Attila Juhos of Slovakia, missed the incident.

A reprieved Kuka set up the former Manchester United winger Karel Poborsky for a shot which flew over the top. Then Poborsky fired a free-kick over the bar in the 33rd minute as the Czechs pressed for an equaliser.

McCarthy sent on the 17-year-old Wolves striker Robbie Keane at half- time in place of Leeds' Alan Maybury to try to boost his attack. Keane thus became the youngest Irish international since Tottenham's Jimmy Holmes in 1961.

The impressive Charlton playmaker Mark Kinsella almost caught the Czech goalkeeper, Tomas Postulka, by surprise with a snap shot, but Ireland lost their lead within three minutes of the restart.

Lubos Kozel ran 50 yards from his own half and, as the Irish defenders backed off, he slipped the ball through to the hard-running Kuka, who caught it just before the byline and cut it back for Vladimir Smicer to fire home from six yards.

Ireland were pushed further and further back as Poborsky orchestrated a string of neat, incisive moves. The gangling substitute for Kuka, Vratislav Lokvenc, volleyed just wide of a post and then headed against a post.

The Czechs took the lead after 75 minutes. Kozel was again the architect of the goal, running at the Irish defence and finding Smicer. He could not control the pass but the ball fell invitingly for another substitute Edvard Lasota, to ram home the winner.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Postulka (Sparta Prague); Latal (Schalke 04), Kozel (Slavia Prague), Rada (Trabzonspor), Novotny (Sparta Prague), Cizek (Sparta Prague), Nemec (Schalke 04), Poborsky (Benfica), Kuka (Kaiserslautern), Smicer (Lens), Bejbl (Atletico Madrid). Substitutes: Lokvenc (Sparta Prague) for Kuka, 60; Lasota (Slavia Prague) for Cizek, 71, Votava (Sparta Prague) for Latal, 85, Fukal (Jablonec) for Smicer, 89.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Given (Newcastle); Maybury (Leeds), Kenna (Blackburn), Carsley (Derby), Cunningham (Wimbledon), Breen (Coventry), Kinsella (Charlton), Farrelly (Everton), Connolly (Feyenoord), G Kelly (Leeds), Duff (Blackburn). Substitutes: Keane (Wolves) for Maybury, h-t; McLoughlin (Portsmouth) for Farrelly, 61; Kilbane (West Bromwich) for Connolly, 61; Delap (Derby) for Duff, 74; Kavanagh (Stoke) for Carsley, 85.

Referee: A Juhos (Slovakia).