Richard Keogh’s passing masterclass and five other incredible stats from a memorable night in Lille

You can't quantify the passion poured into the 90 minutes by the Republic of Ireland players tasked with dragging the team into the last 16.

But, don't be fooled, there was more than a never-say-die attitude that bested the Italians in Lille. Martin O'Neill's men were technically sound throughout the crunch Group E game that eventually paved their path into a knockout tie against hosts and tournament favourites France. One glance at the statistics from the game shows you just how much the players showed up when it counted most. Here are six of our favourite statistics.

Richard Keogh out-passed every other starter

Lorenzo Insigne, who came on for the final 15 minutes, technically enjoyed a better pass accuracy percentage than Richard Keogh on the night. But out of all the starters, Keogh was the most reliable passer on Wednesday night with an incredible accuracy rate of 88.5%. To put that into context, David Silva only enjoyed pass accuracy rate of 86.2% the night before, when Spain played Croatia. Silky stuff from the Derby centre-half.

James McClean was utterly relentless

A few eyebrows were raised when James McClean was given a starting place against Italy, given his proclivity for picking up a quick booking.

But McClean was disciplined in his tackles and my God were they flying in.

The West Brom winger threw himself into a grand total of five tackles, more than double the challenges of anyone else on the pitch.

His closest competition had a mere two tackles each, with Federico Bernardeschi, Angelo Ogbonna, Wes Hoolahan and Robbie Brady all coming up with a pair of challenges.

Shane Duffy was a giant at the back

You would never have guessed that it was Shane Duffy's first competitive international start.

The Blackburn defender was an unbeatable tower when Italy's attempts at lumping long balls in to the inexperienced centre-half became a tactic.

Duffy actually won double the aerial duels of anyone else on the pitch (10), coming up with twice the wins in the air as Italian stalwart Andrea Barzagli (5).

Creativity in abundance

In a game of tight margins, it's the key pass that can make all the difference and the Republic of Ireland were simply the more clinical in setting up chances.

Robbie Brady was far and away the most creative player on the pitch, with three key passes to his name compared to the total of one enjoyed by Thiago Motta, Mattie De Sciglio and Lorenzo Insigne.

Daryl Murphy and Wes Hoolahan had two each, with one more for Jeff Hendrick.

That pushes the key pass scoreline in Ireland's favour by a disparity of 8-3.

 James McCarthy stepped up

The spotlight was on him after the criticism he faced following his performance against Belgium.

And with Glenn Whelan an unused substitute, McCarthy more than picked up the slack in midfield.

The Everton midfielder broke up at play at will, coming up with the most interceptions of anyone else on the pitch (6).

McCarthy only lasted 77 minutes but he still broke up the play in the centre of the park more times than Thiago Motta who, despite playing the full game, contributed only 5.

All statistics via WhoScored.com