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Northern Ireland qualifies for its first Euros

Bode came on in the second half and quickly made his mark, heading in a pass from Tamas Kadar on the left side in the 63rd minute.

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“As a group we know what it will take to get us to France and that’s what we’re focused on now”.

“Against opponents like these, we need to score and try not to make any mistakes”.

“I’ve no idea what I would do to celebrate”, he joked.

Sunderland skipper John O’Shea enjoyed a night to savour, helping the Republic of Ireland claim a memorable 1-0 win over Germany in the Euro 2016 qualifiers.

Poland now sit second in Group D just 2 points behind leaders Germany.

Defensive partner Richard Keogh timed a sliding tackle perfectly to deny Goetze a tap in, and when Mesut Ozil did have the ball in the net, it was ruled out for offside.

Irish substitute Shane Long was the hero of the hour crashing home a goal midway through the second half after beating two German defenders to a long ball kicked downfield by the Irish goalkeeper. If Portugal avoid defeat against Denmark, they will be guaranteed a place at the European Championships.

It was a night of glory for Northern Ireland, their Fermanagh players and all the supporters at Windsor Park as they qualified for their first ever European Championship finals in France next June.

And had Scotland held on for a minute longer against the Poles in Glasgow, Ireland would now be a scoreless draw away from automatic qualification.

Jerome Boateng headed over before Ilkay Gundogan, Andre Schurrle and Thomas Muller wasted chances.

“I went in before the game and shook a few hands, I know a few of them personally and I’m good friends with Stuart”. Poland drew 2-2 in Scotland, which ended Scottish hopes of qualifying, as they are cut adrift on 12.

Due to their superior goal difference, a draw on Sunday would be enough for Poland to qualify directly, while Ireland needs to win to avoid the play-offs.

Earlier Thursday, Georgia defeated Gibraltar 4-0 in Tbilisi.

Portugal have 18 points, Denmark 12 and Albania 11. A match previous year between the countries was interrupted by violence after a drone carrying a nationalist Albanian banner hovered over the pitch.

“We’ve accomplished the minimum target we set for ourselves, which was to secure third place”, Kiraly said after the match.

“It’s just an incredible feeling, what we have to look forward to, but this is about the players, to see their reaction is where I get the real buzz”, he said.

It was a mild Thursday evening in south Belfast when dreams finally came true.

“We’re disappointed, the coaching staff are disappointed, the fans are disappointed, but imagine being a player”, he said.

“It’s a huge achievement for the squad and the entire nation”, he added.

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Christos Aravidis pulled a goal back for Greece four-minutes from time, but by then the game was already out of reach.

Mesut Ozil Germany