91Èȱ¬

Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni was more than happy to come away from Wembley having secured a 1-1 draw against England.

"I think in 90 minutes, the result was right," said the manager after the match in which Shane Long had headed the Republic into an early lead.

"England in the second half had more possession, but we already knew the great personality that England have.

"They are one of the three or four strongest countries in football."

Trapattoni was delighted by the performances of his younger players, singling out Long, Seamus Coleman and James McCarthy.

"They needed this experience and they will learn from it," he said.

Before the match, the 74-year-old Italian had stressed that his priority was the 7 June World Cup qualifier at home to the Faroe Islands.

But first, the Republic take on Georgia in a Dublin friendly on Sunday when Trapattoni may choose to experiment with some fringe players.

Long put the Irish ahead in the 13th minute with Frank Lampard netting England's equaliser 10 minutes later.

The match saw Robbie Keane, Ireland's all-time top scorer, move just one game short of Shay Given's record of 125 international caps.

Los Angeles Galaxy had initially blocked the 32-year-old's call-up because of club commitments, only for a change in heart to allow him to captain the side at Wembley.