Robbie Keane was just as happy as any of them.
The Republic of Ireland captain took no less joy from a famous night at the Aviva just because he wasn’t playing.
This isn’t about Robbie Keane. This is about Ireland.
And the man who has been the heartbeat of the nation for over a decade was a delighted skipper on Thursday night. And he was an even happier Irish man.
“I have to say, the atmosphere, the togetherness of everybody in that group, from the first minute of the Georgia game to now, it has always been high spirits,” Keane said after Martin O’Neill’s men humbled the Germans.
“I’m very proud. I keep saying it: It doesn’t matter who’s playing and who’s not. It’s about the nation. It’s about everybody coming together and everybody trying to achieve one goal and that’s to qualify for France.
“We’ve all had our time throughout our careers when we’re playing and when we’re not and the time now has come for some other players. All the other players in that dressing room, myself included, we’re going to get opportunities again. There are going to be times when we need myself or some of the other lads in there. That’s why it’s always important to be ready. And the lads are ready – look at the two boys who came on and made a huge difference, Shane [Long] and Randy [Darren Randolph].”
And Keane was delighted to see his apprentice of sorts, Shane Long, hit the net and make history.
“Great finish. Great finish. The first touch helped him. As soon as you get it out of your feet and you can see the whole goal and it’s important that you get good pace in it especially against a ‘keeper like that. But you could see how much power was in it because the ball was in the back of the net before he could react.”
That was the moment that, looking on from the bench, Robbie Keane knew the Irish were on to something special. The Thomas Muller miss obviously helped.
“I think when we got the first goal… you could sense in the first half that they weren’t playing as free flowing football as they have,” the LA Galaxy man explained. “They had a few chances, but they’re always going to get chances, Germany – no matter who they’re playing against – because they’re the best team in the world. I think we limited them when they’re missing chances like that [Muller’s] you always believed that this could be our night. And it was.
“You’re playing against the world champions. They’re always going to get chances, they’re going to have possession of the ball. At times, you’re going to drop a lot deeper than you’d like to but some of the defending, the blocks… full credit to the players.”
There was one man who deserved more credit than most though. A certain Everton player who we have been waiting to come good. He came good tonight alright.
“The team spirit from everyone from the start of the week, the character that the lads showed… I thought James McCarthy played one of his best games that he has definitely played in a green jersey,” Keane praised the midfielder. “He typified the performance. The way he was harrassing people, stopping them from playing. Of course they were going to play at times but he was in good, important positions, he was very, very important to the team.
“There’s a great atmosphere in there. I have to say, the team spirit this week and the whole campaign… there are always going to be ups and downs, there are going to be times when players are down and when they’re not playing – like Longy would’ve been disappointed that he wasn’t playing. But we’re all part of a team, all part of the squad and everyone will get their chances at some stage – Shane got his tonight when he came on and he took it. That’s all part of being a team.”
