Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni was a happy man after his return to Italy was rewarded with a precious World Cup point.

The 70-year-old was cheered to the dug-out by the home fans, who jeered his compatriot Marcello Lippi for not selecting local boy Antonio Cassano.

There were more boos on the final whistle after the reigning world champions, who played for 87 minutes with 10 men after Giampaolo Pazzini was sent off, finally succumbed to Ireland skipper Robbie Keane's late equaliser.

The draw means the Republic remain two points behind Italy in the Group Eight table but, crucially, still five ahead of Bulgaria, who earlier beat Cyprus 2-0 in Sofia.

Trapattoni said: "I was hoping for a draw coming here as it would put more pressure on Italy.

"They are still ahead, so that's an advantage, but there are many, many games to go.

"Yesterday, I didn't want to say anthing as I didn't want to jinx it. But we are among 11 unbeaten teams in the qualifying.

"I told my players that and I thought that would give them momentum.

"We may be 26th in FIFA rankings, but we still haven't lost and that has to give them a great drive for work."

Keane's equaliser came in the nick of time as his side staged a late fightback which very nearly brought them all three as the 10 men wilted.

He stabbed home from close range after substitute Caleb Folan made a nuisance of himself inside the Italian box and the ball fell perfectly for him to beat keeper Gianluigi Buffon.

The travelling fans were still celebrating when Glenn Whelan saw a last-minute shot rear up off a defender and loop just over the bar with Buffon stranded.

Italy had got off to a dreadful start when Pazzini, making his first start for his country, was dismissed just three minutes after kick-offer for catching defender John O'Shea with an arm and leaving him bloodied.

However, his side re-organised swifly and were in front eight minutes later when Vincenzo Iaquinta converted Fabio Grosso's cross after the full-back had been played in by the excellent Andrea Pirlo.

Trapattoni uncharacteristically decided to change the shape and make-up of his team in an effort to find a way back into the game and they gradually increased their tempo, aided in no small measure by Pirlo's failure to re-appear after the break.

The ploy ultimately worked and Trapattoni later insisted he is not averse to change when it is required.

He said: "When I need to change the players, I will. I changed immediately at the World Cup. I do it when necessary.

"I'm not afraid to change. If the team has balance, I won't change. There has to be a reason to make changes like this."