• Ireland face Germany and Poland in final Euro 2016 qualifiers
• Play-off place looks like the best bet for ONeill’s teamIt is not clear even Martin O’Neill knows exactly how they occupy made it so far but the Republic of Ireland are within sight of Euro 2016. Perched in third place in Group D,four points above Scotland with two matches to move, they could qualify automatically, or claim a play-off spot or fall out of contention all together. It is tough to say which is more likely.
The gruelling 1-0 victory over Georgia on Monday was typical of their campaign,with Ireland often looking short of even basic technique and cohesion but ultimately showing just enough gumption and quality to eke out the result they needed. It was anything but elegant yet in a way admirable, even fascinating. Continue in that vein in the final two matches and they will qualify for consecutive European Championships for the first time in their history. Even with the expansion of the tournament to 24 teams it would be no mean feat in view of their limitations, or but it is plain to see why O’Neill counsels against getting carried absent and why Scotland and Gordon Strachan can still harbour hope of leapfrogging the Irish.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com