Shay Given: I’ll be okay for Ireland

Shay Given insists he will report for Ireland duty today with his focus intact despite suffering more FA Cup final heartache.

Having overcome an injury scare in the build-up to Saturday’s Wembley showpiece, the Donegal goalkeeper was part of an Aston Villa team on the receiving end of a ruthless mauling by Arsenal.

For Given, it was a third runners-up medal (two with Newcastle in 1998 and 1999), while he was an unused substitute with the Manchester City side who claimed the trophy in 2011.

And the scale of Arsenal’s dominance made defeat more difficult to stomach.

“It’s disappointing, I think the best team won,” said Given, part of Martin O’Neill’s squad for this month’s friendly against England and a crunch Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland.

“We all needed to have an eight or a nine out of 10 to beat Arsenal, and we didn’t, we didn’t have enough players that did that.

“Arsenal are a great team, they deserved to win the game and how tough it is to say, and how tough it is to take the ball out of the net four times, but it’s the truth. It’s not a nice feeling.

“It’s not a nice way to finish, but I meet up with the squad Monday and I’ve got two big games coming up with Ireland as well so I’ve got to keep my head right for them.

“The next couple of days will be a lull for myself and for the lads I suppose but we’ve got to go again. The gaffer said that afterwards as well, that we’ve got to come back and be stronger than we were this season.” The game saw Alexis Sanchez score one of the great goals in FA Cup final history, an explosive, swerving drive from 25 yards.

It gave Arsenal a two-goal lead five minutes into the second half and Given conceded it was the game’s defining moment.

“I’ve seen it from the behind the goal angle,” he said. “It moved all over the shop. But he’s an exceptional player and he’s capable of great things.

“I think at 1-0, if we can stay in the game longer we’ve got a chance but Sanchez has come up with a great strike.”

In news which will come as a relief to Ireland manager O’Neill, Given insisted he was feeling no after-effects from the groin problem which caused him to miss last weekend’s final Premier League match of the season against Burnley.

“It’s no problem. It wasn’t a major doubt, it was a little bit of a tight groin.”