Martin O’Neill salutes Ireland’s ‘great courage’

Martin O’Neill praised the courage of his charges as they made history at Aviva Stadium last night.

Shane Long’s 70th minute strike gave Ireland a first ever competitive victory over Germany, and guaranteed them at least a play-off spot — with a serious chance of automatic qualification still on offer.

The victory came in the most unlikely of circumstances, with a host of injuries and suspensions apparently culling the strength of O’Neill’s starting XI, with five Championship players starting, and Darren Randolph making his first competitive appearance off the bench.