Martin O’Neill said the Republic of Ireland dressing-room was "devastated" for their captain Séamus Coleman after he suffered a dreadful leg break in the Aviva Stadium stalemate with Wales.
Neil Taylor was shown a straight red card for a 69th-minute lunge on Coleman that left the Donegal man writhing in agony on the turf; he was given oxygen as he was stretchered from the field.
O'Neill revealed John O'Shea also suffered a bad gash to his shin following a high Gareth Bale challenge that escaped with a yellow, as a scrappy contest boiled over after the break.
“It’s a bad break," O'Neill told RTÉ Sport. "He’s gone to hospital; it’s a real, real shame for the lad. A brilliant player, a brilliant character – we’re all devastated for him.
"All in all it’s another point on the board but I think tonight is about Séamus"
"We could easily have won it, but then the mistake we made when Gareth Bale came on to one, you might lose it. We pushed on, we tried. The crowd were absolutely fantastic for us tonight, really fantastic.
"We were a bit sloppy in the first half I felt.
“We built up a bit of momentum on the second half and continued when Séamus went off. All in all it’s another point on the board but I think tonight is about Séamus."
Bale's clash with O'Shea could well have seen him walk, with the Real Madrid superstar catching the veteran defender late and high as he tried to get on the end of a cross.
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O'Neill said that tackle left its mark, while also praising the 15-minute contribution of Preston winger Aiden McGeady.
“John’s got a nasty shin injury," he said. "The doctors are treating it. He didn’t complain about it. It wasn’t great."
Of McGeady, the Irish boss added: “He nearly turned the game. For that 15 minutes I thought he was absolutely brilliant. He was taking players on... that was the Aiden McGeady I know.
“Home matches don’t automatically mean three points, but the crowd were absolutely fantastic, particularly in the last 20-odd minutes. They roused the players. I couldn’t have asked for many more."
