Post-match reaction: Emmet Malonehears the views of the Ireland manager after a difficult assignment

IT REMAINS to be seen how he will take it when his side loses an important game for the first time but in the meantime Giovanni Trapattoni is nothing if not magnanimous when his side avoids defeat.

Last night's draw at the Podgorica City stadium in the Montenegro capital might have contained a couple of decent Irish penalty claims but there were some close shaves too and the Italian was quick to declare the result a fair one. The Italian said he had seen the incident just before half-time when Radoslav Batak had handled in the middle of his area on television after the game had ended and was certain there should been a spot kick.

Still, there was little by way of complaint and he was particularly reluctant to be overly critical of the Estonian referee.

"On the pitch I didn't see it clearly, but afterwards I watched it and it was clear that it was penalty. The referee, though, does not have too much experience and you need that for such situations in international football."

He had kind words, meanwhile, for his opposite number Zoran Filipovic although he cautioned against overestimating the scale of the former Yugoslav international's achievement in guiding his side to an unbeaten start in their first ever competitive campaign.

"He is a good coach, a very experienced one but he has good players too. This is a good team and I am waiting to see how the other teams in the group do when they come here. Bulgaria drew here and now so have we but it will be difficult for anyone to win against that team in this atmosphere."

"Italy," he continued, "will be the next team to visit and we will see then whether really this is a point gained or two lost but if you ask me right now then I tell you that I'm happy. We played a good game and we were not beaten."

The Italian added: "I think the result is fair. I knew before the game that the opponent was very, very hard. I told the players to be careful and in the first half they were a little bit stronger than us. But we were very well organised. We have a good defence and we played without a little mistake.

"In the second half, we controlled the game better, we grew in confidence and the players understood what I said to them, that it was possible to lose and they should run down the clock if they could."

A couple of Irish players won particular praise from the former Juventus and Bayern Munich boss. Shay Given, he noted, had kept the Irish level towards the end with a couple of fine saves when the pressure was mounting while Steve Finnan had shown his experience with the way he had slowed things, letting the seconds tick away as it became increasingly clear that the visitors were not in a position to take six points from their opening two games for the first time in a decade.

"Shay did very well for the shot that hit off another player late in the game and Finnan showed what I have said, that when you cannot win, you must take care to make sure you do not lose."

He was, he said, pleased with the second half performance by the Irish who he felt controlled things for spells and might have won the game. Still, this team is a work in progress, he insisted. "Players like Aiden McGeady and Stephen Hunt, they have a little bit to learn. Maybe at home they can run 50 metres and win a free kick but not here, not in away games like this."

The young Celtic winger might also have done better with his shooting chance late on had he been a little more experienced. "He is a good player," said the Italian, "but maybe if he had been calmer, he would have done better at that moment."

Overall, he insisted, it was a satisfactory performance from a team that deserved what they got from night. "I said yesterday that we want to be offensive but we have to be real. You see big teams, Barcelona, Milan . . . they look to attack but sometimes they are beaten. Everybody knows about the coaches who say: 'We played well! We lost! We played well! We lost.' After a while the newspapers are waiting for them."

The four points have left Ireland in a good position in Group Eight, which both Trapattoni and Montenegro boss Zoran Filipovic expect world champions Italy to win.

"On the pitch I didn't see it clearly, but afterwards I watched it and it was clear that it was penalty. The referee, though, does not have too much experience and you need that for such situations in international football.'