McCarthy: Next game is our toughest

Mick McCarthy believes Ireland's final group game against Saudi Arabia could be the toughest match for his team to date in this World Cup.

McCarthy watched Saudi, as they were eliminated from the competition yesterday to a solitary goal from Cameroon, but says that won't make the game any easier.

"In some ways, this could be our toughest game yet, because all the pressure is off Saudi now that they are out of the competition.

"It didn't matter what the result was yesterday, we knew we would need a result against Saudi Arabia

anyway.

"And they gave a truer reflection of what they were capable of against Cameroon. It doesn't really bother me that we have to go into this game needing to win by two goals to qualify, because the team has been excellent throughout the competition."