Brady said: “We will just have to prepare as hard as we can because they will be a tough outfit but if we click on the night we will give them a difficult game”.
Advertisement
France remain favourites for the trophy after qualifying top of their group, but Brady said: “I don’t think we’ve anything to fear this weekend”.
Then, with seven minutes left, came the chance Ireland thought may be their last as Wes Hoolahan fired straight at Sirigu with the goal at his mercy. “I was glad that we needed the win tonight, not the draw because maybe we would have sat back and tried to see it out but we needed the win and we played with confidence and we fully deserved it”.
“The picture probably speaks for how we felt, him getting over to me just for that one moment”, the brunette beauty revealed to Kathryn Thomas on RTE Radio One.
Ireland are unlucky not to be awarded a penalty when James McClean is bundled over by Federico Bernardeschi just before the break. “For the future it looks good… but while we are here in the present let’s be delighted with how we performed, let’s think about it for a day, and then let’s get ready for France”. It was pretty clear cut, but it doesn’t matter now. Obviously there’s a great spirit among the players but spirit alone won’t win games.
After a poor display against Italy in their group opener, Belgium now take on Hungary in Toulouse on June 26 with the momentum of two wins behind them. We have chose to forget about (it) and that’s some doing coming from Ireland.
“There are a lot of teams with individuals who play for themselves, but when you’ve got teams like Iceland and Ireland who have a collective group and stick together, they try to aim to do the right thing”.
O’Neill, who has enjoyed some great successes both as a player and a manager, labelled the victory as one of the finest of his career and joked that a last-16 tie with the French would be “easy”.
“He [Wes Hoolahan] did keep his head and he put in a lovely ball, but Brady still had to go and head it and he’s gone as bravely as anything to do that”, O’Neill said.
“I look forward to playing France”, he said.
The match victor struggled for words at the final whistle, describing it as the best feeling in the world.
Advertisement
Robbie Brady during his post-match interview with RTÉ.
