Given: It’s going to be ‘fighting Irish’

Two days had passed since Ireland’s defeat to Croatia by the time Shay Given spoke to the media, and two more had yet to go before the second Group C game against Spain, but the goalkeeper’s gaze is fixed in just one direction.

The message was clear: Croatia is over. It’s done with. It’s time to move on, an approach shared by Ireland’s assistant manager, Marco Tardelli, and a number of Given’s colleagues on the playing staff.

“It wasn’t like us at all nor were the goals we conceded. Two were from corners and the other one was from a cross and that’s not normally like us. We’re usually more solid than that, so as a group of players we were disappointed in the goals. We were all flat after the game. We’re still talking about it now, but we can’t change it.