A defiant Giovanni Trapattoni has laughed in the face of public calls for his dismissal as Ireland soccer boss and insisted: “I’ve done a great job.”

The 74-year-old Italian has little or no chance of another contract after Ireland’s hopes of making next year’s World Cup finals ended on Friday.

The 2-1 defeat to Sweden at the Aviva Stadium was the last straw as far as most pundits and fans were concerned.

Ireland now go to Austria on Tuesday night needing nothing short of a miracle to win a play-off place in a group all but won by Germany.

But Trapattoni, tactically played off the park by Swedish counterpart Eric Hamren, won’t accept the end is night.

He told the post match press conference: “I think until now, we make a very, very great job. Not a good job, a great job.

“We’ve changed many players in the squad, the team. It is up to the federation, but I look at what we have done in the last years and I am sure about the jobs we have done.”

LA Galaxy striker Robbie Keane had put Ireland ahead after a blistering opening 20 minutes but the joy was short lived as

Johan Elmander equalised before a second-half winner from Anders Svensson.

Even Trapattoni’s former player Liam Brady admitted his old boss is set for the chop.

But the Italian preferred to insist that Ireland can beat Austria, beaten 2-0 by Germany on Friday, to revive their ailing hopes of the play-offs.

Trapattoni added: “We have to see what can happen in the next three games.

“We need to beat Austria on Tuesday but, obviously, the situation now is not easy. We still have to believe.”

Sweden boss Hamren didn’t do Trap any favours with his analysis of the Irish play afterwards.

Hamren said: “Today was a lot of long balls. Not the way they’ve been playing the last, six, seven months. It was really important we won today. This is a very good situation for us.”