Neither side managed to get a foothold in the grippingly tense match, but luck from Anelka’s shot gave the Frenchmen the lead, while Liam Lawrence, Glenn Whelan and John O’ Shea missed chances for Ireland.

Lawrence was given the nod ahead of Aiden McGeady to shore up the right flank for the Republic, and it was the Stoke midfielder who came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half on 27 minutes.

Andre-Pierre Gignac had already seen a goal for France rightly ruled out for offside before Robbie Keane got in behind the visitors’ back four. Hugo Lloris blocked the skipper’s progress but the ball fell into the path of Lawrence, who saw his close-range volley deflected agonisingly wide of the target by Patrice Evra.

The threat of Anelka and Thierry Henry was being well nullified by the Irish backline, however the Barcelona striker did manage to get a shot off six minutes before the break, but Shay Given remained untested as the French skipper pulled his effort well wide of the target.

John O’Shea made a mess of a good chance to open the scoring six minutes after the break, when the Manchester United defender failed to turn home Richard Dunne’s knock-down from Damien Duff’s corner, while at the other end, Lassana Diarra saw his 25-yard volley whistle past Given’s left-hand post.

Given was again relieved when the referee waved away French appeals for a penalty when Evra tumbled over the Irish keeper’s challenge midway through the second period, but French pressure paid when they took the lead fortuitously with 18 minutes remaining.

Anelka collected the ball outside the box and seeing the opportunity to get a shot off, the Chelsea striker fired an attempt towards goal. The original effort alone probably would not have beaten Given, but a huge deflection off Sean St Ledger saw the Ireland stopper reduced to the role of spectator as the ball found the net via the post.

Kevin Kilbane’s poor backpass handed France a wonderful opportunity to double their lead, but with the goal gaping after Given had denied Anelka, Gignac horribly sliced the rebound out for a throw-in.

The best opportunity for an equaliser came with four minutes remaining. Substitute Leon Best and Keane combined to present Glenn Whelan with a close range oppotunity but the he was denied by a brilliant save by Lloris as the French held on for a crucial victory.

Afterwards captain Keane refused to give up on the nation’s World Cup dream.

“We have to be confident for Wednesday and believe we can win the game. There’s no question we can do it on Wednesday,” he told Sky Sports.

“We’ve been to big teams like Italy and got results, so we know we can. It’s not going to be easy but we have to believe.”

France’s Henry also stressed the tie is not over yet.

“We have seen the Irish are a difficult team to beat and they didn’t lose a game in the whole qualifying so what we did today is nice,” he said.

“There are still 90 minutes to go so it will be a tough game for us in Paris.”

Sean St Ledger’s 87th-minute header looked to have handed Trapattoni’s men a famous victory over the world champions which would have blown the race for the top spot in Group Eight and automatic qualification for next summer’s finals wide open.

However, substitute Alberto Gilardino’s 90th-minute equaliser broke Irish hearts and ensured the Italians won the group.

The Republic’s point at least booked them a place in the play-offs, but as they prepare for Wednesday night’s final qualifier against Montenegro and the two-legged showdown which will follow, they know it could have been so much better.

Trapattoni said: “Our aim was to win, but in the last three minutes, we needed experience.

“We are a young team and this is an important lesson for us. We must learn from it.

“Yes, I am disappointed. Italy probably deserved a goal, but that’s not the point.

“I’m upset, not because I know the work that has to be done, but because we let a goal in so late.”

St Ledger’s first goal for his country – a diving header from substitute Stephen Hunt’s free-kick – sent a crowd of 70,640 into raptures at Croke Park.

But there was to be a cruel twist in the tail when Italian Gilardino, the man designated to mark St Ledger at the set-piece, redeemed himself by turning home Vincenzo Iaquinta’s cross in the final minute of normal time.

Glenn Whelan had earlier got the home side off to a dream start when he thumped home Liam Lawrence’s intelligent free-kick, and although Mauro Camoranesi levelled 18 minutes later, Ireland thought they had clinched another famous scalp to go with that of Holland during the qualifying campaign for the 2002 finals.

Skipper Robbie Keane was devastated to see two priceless points slip away at the end of the game.

He said: “It sums us up, doesn’t it? That’s what happens to us all the time.

“In the dressing room, the lads are disappointed. Before the game, people would have thought that was a good result.

“But when you are three minutes away from a victory against the world champions and they score with literally the last kick of the game, the boys are obviously devastated in the dressing room.

“But we need to pick ourselves back up because we have got another big game on Wednesday.”

Defender St Ledger admitted his side’s frustration despite holding Italy to a draw for the second time in their qualifying group.

The Middlesbrough defender told Sky Sports 2: “Everyone’s majorly disappointed in the changing room. It just feels like a loss, having scored so late in the game and then conceding like that.

“Emotions are probably setting in, we’re probably not thinking logically, but if there is a positive we gave the world champions a run for their money and we’re undefeated in the group.”

St Ledger met substitute Stephen Hunt’s free-kick with a diving header, but there was some dispute as to whether he should have been in the box in the first place.

“I’m back for corners and free-kicks usually,” he said. “But we needed to win this game if we had any chance of getting an automatic qualification and my goalscoring record’s not been too bad from those in the last couple of games.

“Shay (Given) told me to go up and fortunately I got my head on it and thought it might have won it so late into the game.

“But I suppose that’s why the Italians are champions, a never-die attitude, and they’ve come up with the goal late in the game.

“We got caught on the counter-attack, I thought the lad (Vincenzo) Iaquinto was going to shoot and then he (Gilardino) shot and it squirmed past Shay slowly – it’s one of those things.”

Manchester United defender John O’Shea added on Sky Sports 2: “It feels like a defeat.

“We’ve scored some great goals and let it slip, and it’s that little bit of concentration at the vital times. It’s hugely disappointing.

“We were playing the world champions and we were two or three minutes away from a win, so we know whoever we get in the play-offs we are more than capable of winning.”

Italy boss Marcello Lippi felt his side deserved their point, and was delighted to have clinched qualification with Wednesday’s home clash with Cyprus still to come.

He said: “This is the third time Italy have qualified for the World Cup one match before the end of the qualifying campaign.

“We did it in 1982 and 2006 and this could be a sign of good luck.

“I’m particularly satisfied because it was an excellent match and we showed excellent spirit and good authority.

“I am very, very happy with the enthusiasm that this team showed. It’s important for a coach like me when I am rebuilding a team.

“It’s still a work in progress and only halfway through it, but we have shown our quality and strength.

“Yesterday, I was asked if I was worried or afraid and I said I was excited – I am very excited.

“To lose would have been very unfair, but we played an excellent match.

“I wish Trapattoni all the best to qualify.”