Euro 2016 qualifiers: Shane Long leads Ireland to victory against Germany
Beating world champions Germany at home for the first time in almost 60 years on 8 October may have won coach Martin O'Neill a place in Ireland's sporting history, but his team are still yet to secure a place at Euro 2016.
Despite the 70th-minute "wonder" goal from Shane Long that won the game against the run of play, O'Neill's team will need a win or a high-scoring draw against Poland in Warsaw on 11 October to qualify, should leaders Germany pick up a point against Georgia in their final outing. Should Germany suffer another shock defeat, then any sort of draw will take Ireland through.
"I'm ecstatic that we've won the game and you would think that beating the Germans and not being beaten by them at all, taking on the world champions, you would think that that would be at least deserving of winning the tournament but it's not the case. We haven't even qualified," said O'Neill at the post-match news conference.
"But it's been a great effort and the players, as I say very briefly, showed great courage, great determination and some ability as well to conjure up the win," he added.
O'Neill's team had been all but written off for qualification before they received a lifeline when rivals Scotland suffered a shock defeat to Georgia in September. When Scotland took a 2-1 lead against Poland in the other big Group D match, it forced O'Neill's side to take some risks as they went in search of a winner.
Poland went on to equalise in injury time for a 2-2 draw that eliminated Scotland. O'Neill dismissed a quip by Germany coach Joachim Loew that Ireland had scored their winning goal via their 100th long ball.
O'Neill said: "I thought in the first half, I thought that we gave away possession a wee bit too easily. I thought that we were exceptionally brave in the second half to get on the ball, which is what I had asked them to do and I thought they were fantastic about that, showed great courage to get on the ball in tight situations and not panic.
"And I thought then we started to come more into the game, even though we still had to withstand pressure from the Germans, possession in terms of that but it was a fantastic effort and Shane comes on and just scores a wonder goal for us and give us something to hang on to."
Group leaders Germany, who have 19 points and only needed a draw to qualify in Dublin, next host Georgia.
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