Wales forward Craig Bellamy has expressed his anguish at losing to Ireland.
Wales forward Craig Bellamy has expressed his anguish at losing to Republic of Ireland in their crucial Euro 2008 qualifier.
The Liverpool front-man had the best chance of the game in the first half but his former Newcastle team-mate Shay Given denied him a goal and the Republic went on to win the match.
The defeat leaves Wales with an uphill task in qualifying, but Bellamy is confident his side can bounce back.
Speaking after the game, Bellamy said: "We didn't start right and Ireland were the better team in the first half, although we improved and the only difference was that they scored a goal and we didn't.
"We've only got three points so far, it's going to be tough now," he added. "But we usually manage to lift ourselves for the next game, even if the dressing room was down afterwards, no question.
"That first-half chance I had was very disappointing. I was through, but I over-ran it just a touch."
Quick to praise Given's reaction, he added: "Shay Given is as brave as they come. He's pretty quick off the mark as well, and he got down to make a fine save."
Goalkeeper Danny Coyne played well throughout the match despite conceding a goal, but admitted the result was disheartening.
The Burnley stopper added: "Everyone is very disappointed. We kept the ball really well in the second half but unfortunately we could not break them down and there's not much more you can say.
"Their goal was from a through-ball and Stephen Ireland latched onto it. He just overran the ball a touch and I tried to close him down.
"I thought I had done enough when he took it wide of me, but he finished it well from a tight angle.
"We were away from home, we tried to frustrate them by keeping the ball but they made it tough and were the better side.
"Obviously we are not in the position we want at the moment and we have to get a win against San Marino on Wednesday, there are still a lot of points to play for and we'll regroup and come back fighting."
