If nothing else, Wednesday night’s victory proves that the Republic of Ireland are not out of their depth against some of Europe’s elite sides.
The 1-0 win, albeit against a team with nothing to play for, will have filled Martin O’Neill’s men with confidence going into their round of 16 clash with tournament favourites France.
A number of Irish players put in the performance of a lifetime to snatch qualification at the very death and the danger posed by the Irish side has not gone unnoticed by Les Bleus.
France assistant manager Guy Stephan spoke to the media on Friday and he’s selected a handful of Ireland players that his side will be focusing on come Sunday.
“The forward (Daryl) Murphy is very tall and strong,” Stephan said, in quotes appearing in L’Equipe. “He’s excellent on the second ball.
“(Glenn) Whelan, is able to pick up the ball from the defence very well. (Wes) Hoolahan can make the difference, with his small stature and great left foot. It was he who set up (Robbie) Brady against Italy.
“This is a disciplined team that never gives up. It puts a lot of enthusiasm and spirit into games like their coach, Martin O’Neill, who was a very dynamic player.”
Stephan went on to explain how he wasn’t surprised to see the Republic progress from Group E, one of the most difficult groups in the competition.
He said: “No, (I’m not surprised) because they are 33rd in the Fifa rankings.
“They got out of a tough group in the first round, with Belgium and Italy. They also finished third in their qualifying group, before winning the play-off with Bosnia.
“They also beat Germany which proves that they are able to win against good teams.”
