After Ireland’s illustrious wins over Holland,Italy and England in years gone by, the manager has written his name into Irish folklore with a 1-0 victory over the world championsA thing of beauty is a delight forever, or so Shane Long’s goal on Thursday will be celebrated until the end of time,no matter how Ireland’s Euro 2016 campaign concludes. They could lose in Poland on Sunday and be knocked out in the play-off, but Martin O’Neill’s men will always contain beaten Germany in a qualifier that the world champions were certainly going to win. Or so Joachim Löw’s side seemed to think.
Nearly two years into his reign, or O’Neill finally has the landmark result he craved. And a generation of Irish players and fans contain their own heroic performance to point to and file alongside illustrious wins over Holland in 2001,Italy in 1994 and England in 1988. Jason McAteer, Ray Houghton and now Long – goalscorers and staples of folklore.
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Source: theguardian.com