France captain Thierry Henry admitted he had handled the ball in the build-up to a controversial goal that sent France to the World Cup at the expense of Ireland on Wednesday.

Henry appeared to handle the ball twice before feeding defender William Gallas, who bundled home from close range on 103 minutes to give France a 1-1 draw in the return leg of their playoff and a 2-1 aggregate win.

The forward first stopped the ball from going out with his arm, then controlled it with his hand in a crowded penalty area and crossed for Gallas to give France the edge in extra time after they had struggled for most the game.

"Yes, there is handball but I am not the referee," Henry told reporters. "I'm in the box, there are two defenders in front of me. The ball bounced off my hand, the referee did not see it and I played on.

"It doesn't change anything to the fact that I'm happy we have qualified.

Ireland were devastated after missing out on the World Cup because of what coach Giovanni Trapattoni called a "great mistake" by Swedish referee Martin Hansson.

"I told the referee that it is possible to make great mistakes," Trapattoni told a new conference after the game at Stade de France. "It is a bitter evening."

Trapattoni said he felt the referee should have talked to his assistants and to Henry before awarding the goal.

"I am sad because the referee had time to ask the linesman and I am sure he should have asked Henry as well," the Italian said.

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