Keith Andrews and Simon Cox teamed up to fire Giovanni Trapattoni's Republic of Ireland to victory over his native country Italy.

The Blackburn midfielder's sweet 36th-minute strike and a second from substitute Cox at the death secured a fourth successive win for the Republic and extended Trapattoni's unbeaten record against the team he once managed.

Once again, Ireland's industry and commitment saw them through against technically more gifted opponents despite nine changes to the side which defeated Macedonia in Skopje at the weekend.

Happy days: Keith Andrews celebrates after scoring for Ireland

Cesare Prandelli's men may have dominated possession but they failed to make the most of it and when the chances came their way, the Irishmen took them with some aplomb in front of a crowd of 21,516.

The large contingent of Italian expatriates at the Maurice Dufrasne Stadium in Liege made their feelings abundantly clear on the final whistle on a night when Sean St Ledger led a gritty defensive display in his first game for 11 weeks, while midfielder Stephen Hunt turned in another terrier-like performance.

It may not have had the significance of the Republic's famous 1994 World Cup finals win over Italy at the Giants Stadium in New York, but it served to illustrate a depth to Trapattoni's squad which many of his predecessors have not enjoyed.

He in effect fielded a second XI, having dispatched senior men Shay Given, Kevin Kilbane, Aiden McGeady and Robbie Keane on top of the absent Richard Dunne, Damien Duff and Kevin Doyle in the wake of Saturday night's 2-0 Euro 2012 qualifying victory in Macedonia.

Opposite number Prandelli, who played under the 72-year-old during his first spell as Juventus manager, retained only five of the men who started their 3-0 win over Estonia but still included commanding defender Giorgio Chiellini, midfielder playmaker Andrea Pirlo and rising stars Giuseppe Rossi and Giampaolo Pazzini.

The Italians oozed class on a pitch made slick by persistent rain, with Pirlo and Riccardo Montolivo orchestrating things behind the front two and right-back Mattia Cassani playing almost as an auxiliary winger. But for all the pressure they mounted before the break, Ireland keeper David Forde, starting his first game for his country, did not have a save of any note to make during the opening 45 minutes.

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