By Glenn Mason
Captain Robbie Keane has hailed the spirit in the Republic of Ireland squad after a battling performance saw Ireland upset world champions Germany in their Euro 2016 qualifier.
Shane Long came off the bench to fire home the winner that guarantees at least play-off spot for Martin O’Neill’s men, with automatic qualification still up for grabs against Poland in Warsaw on Sunday.
The visitors dominated possession for long periods but failed to break down a resolute Irish defence led by centre-halves John O’Shea and Richard Keogh.
"It was a great finish. The first touch helped him. As soon as you get that out of your feet, you can see the whole goal..."
James McCarthy and Jeff Hendrick worked hard to close down the space of their opposite numbers in the German midfield, while Wes Hoolahan’s ability to keep the ball at vital stages earned him the man of the match award.
But it will be Long’s contribution that will be best remembered in the years to come as he chased down Darren Randolph’s clearance, controlled superbly and lashed an unstoppable shot past Manuel Neuer.
Keane said: “There's always going to be ups and downs, there's going to be times when players are down and players are not playing, like Longy, who would have been disappointed he's not playing.
"But we're all part of a team, all part of a squad and everyone will get their chance at some stage. Shane got his tonight when he came on and he took it. That's part of being a team.
"The atmosphere, the togetherness of that group from the first minute of the first game in Georgia, it has always been high spirits and it's important that we continue to do that.”
Keane was an unused substitute and knows his days as an automatic starter are probably over, but he was full of admiration and praise for those who secured a famous victory.
“It doesn't matter who is playing or not,” he said. “It's about the nation and about everybody pulling together to try to achieve one goal, and that's to qualify for France.
“We've all had our times through our careers when we're playing or not, and the time has come for some other players. All the other players in that dressing room, myself included, we're all going to get opportunities.
“There are going to be times when we'll need myself or the others in that dressing room. That's why it's always important to be ready. Certainly the lads we're ready tonight.”
As a scorer of 67 international goals, Keane could only sit back and admire the quality of Long’s strike, which left a world-class goalkeeper like Neuer with no chance of stopping it.
Keane said: “It was a great finish. The first touch helped him. As soon as you get that out of your feet, you can see the whole goal and it's important that you get good pace.
"They're always going to get chances no matter who they play because they're the best team in the world"
“As soon as he hit it, the keeper dived after it but the ball was in the back of the net, that's how much power was in it. Everyone's delighted. We'll look forward to Sunday.”
Keane also singled out James McCarthy and substitute 'keeper Darren Randolph for praise, saying: "I thought James McCarthy, it was one of the best games he's definitely played in a green jersey. I thought he typified the performance the way he was harassing people, stopping them from playing. We knew they were going to play but he was in good, important positions and was very, very good at times for the team.
While Randolph also received praise following his competitive debut: "We know his kicking is fantastic. It's a shame what happened to Shay, we don't know the extent of the injury, but I thought Randy was brilliant when he came on. It was a great kick and Shane read it very, very well.
"Apart from that, I thought he was very steady. He calmed the game down a lot. His kicking from off the ground nearly into their 18 yard box at times was really a help to the team."
And of Germany, Keane added: "In the first half they weren't playing as free-flowing football as they have, even though they got a few chances. They're always going to get chances no matter who they play because they're the best team in the world.
"But I think we limited them to chances that they're used to getting. When they're missing chances like that, someone like that, you start to believe that this is our night and it certainly was."
