O’Neill targets dangerman Lewandowski

As he bids farewell to his first full year of international management, Ireland boss Martin O’Neill recognises his European Championship fate could well hinge upon one of the continent’s foremost strikers.

Robert Lewandowski skippers a Polish ship arriving into Dublin for the March 29 qualifier with a three point buffer on the Irish in pursuit of a coveted automatic voyage of discovery ticket to France in 2016.

With O’Neill echoing the common view that Germany will recover to claim top spot in Group D, the Derry man admits only a twin-track strategy of suppressing the Bayern Munich marksman’s threat and having service delivered to his own famished strike force will suffice for the desired turnaround to materialise.