Republic of Ireland defender John O’Shea, who collected his 107th cap last night, marshalled a defence repeatedly stretched to its limits against the Germans and later paid tribute to the spirit engendered by manager Martin O’Neill, number two Roy Keane and their staff during their reign to date.
O’Shea said: “A manager is always going to be asked questions when things aren’t going so well or performances aren’t up to scratch, but the management team have built up a great camaraderie in the squad.
The unexpected win against world champions Germany means another victory on Sunday would see Ireland through to the Euro 2016 tournament automatically.
O’Shea is looking to the whole squad to help make that happen.
“You’ve seen that in the impact that the subs have had coming on in games, the late goals we’ve been able to get.
“It’s not by accident. There’s a great spirit amongst the lads, and we’ll need it again on Sunday.”