A DEFIANT GIOVANNI Trapattoni insisted today that World Cup qualification is still within Ireland’s grasp and rallied his devastated players by telling them: we must believe.

The road to Brazil hit another speedbump as David Alaba snatched a late, late equaliser to give Austria a 2-2 draw in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium last night.

The result leaves Trapattoni’s Ireland with eight points from their first five games and outsiders in the three-way battle with Austria and Sweden for Group C’s runner-up spot.

The picture will become slightly clearer in June when the Faroe Islands visit Dublin while Austria and Sweden clash in Vienna on the same evening.

Asked if he still believes Ireland can qualify, a bullish Trapattoni responded: “Why not?

We have played 45 minutes; now the second round starts against all of these teams. Why not? Why not?

I think every game is 90 minutes to achieve qualification. Every game. Because the others also play the same games again.

We have to continue to grow and take the experience about why we achieved this draw. Why did we achieve it, and why did we concede this draw?

Alaba’s stoppage-time strike, courtesy of a generous deflection, was a sucker-punch for Ireland who had bounced back from Martin Harnik’s early opener to take the lead through a Jon Walters double.

Only the width of the woodwork and an unlucky deflection cost his team all three points, Trapattoni said, and with a bit more experience his young players might have been a bit cuter in running down the clock in the game’s final moments.

“We did all that we could do. Which player played bad? Sammon and Long hit the post and the crossbar.

“I can accept every question but the post was two fingers [from being a goal], the crossbar the same. Also a deflection.

“We can’t think that we’re finished in qualification. Qualification is strong.

“We are missing experience. Let me say one name: Damien Duff. In this position, he would go down and lose the time, wait, get up and finish the game. We played immediately and we lost. That is experience.”

The boos which greeted the final whistle last night indicated once again just how fragile Trapattoni’s position is, but such criticism is part and parcel of any management job he said.

“I remember the results, I remember the teams, I remember how many players changed and how we developed the team, achieved the France play-off and the Euros, changed all the past teams.

“Today the Irish people said it’s a pity but you have done a good job. That is what the people on the road are saying.

“It is my job, my heavy job. It’s a beautiful job but I have to keep on my shoulders the mistakes.”

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