Share

Ireland stun Germany

Cape Town - The Republic of Ireland netted a dramatic equaliser deep in injury time to claim a share of the spoils with World Cup winners Germany in a Euro 2016 qualifier on Tuesday night.

Germany claimed the lead in the 71st minute through Toni Kroos and looked to be heading for a narrow victory before John O'Shea popped up at the death to restore parity with virtually the last kick of the game.

The first half was a one-sided affair, with Germany dominating proceedings from start to finish. However, despite controlling the match, the hosts were unable to make their chances count when it mattered.

Their first chance arrived after just four minutes, with Antonio Rudiger's speculative shot from outside the box flying wide of the left-hand post.

And the Stuttgart defender had another chance to give his side the lead 10 minutes later, but somehow failed find the mark with a headed effort after being teed up by Thomas Muller's headed pass.

Later efforts from Kroos and Karim Bellarabi failed to find the mark, while Rudiger eventually managed to get an effort on target in the 32nd minute, only to see it saved by David Forde in the Republic of Ireland goal.

Germany's last chance of note fell to Matthias Ginter on 40 minutes, but the defender's header from the centre of the box lacked accuracy and flew harmlessly over the bar.

The Boys in Green had failed to lodge a single shot on target in the first stanza and unfortunately for them, it was more of the same after the break as they were forced to sit back and defend for large passages of play.

The world champions renewed their efforts in the second period and created a series of good chances in the opening 10 minutes.

Efforts from Lukas Podolski, Bellarabi and Kroos were saved by Forde before Mats Hummels headed wide from Mario Gotze's cross in the 56th minute.

However, the deadlock was finally broken on 71 minutes as Kroos latched on to a pass from Max Kruse before slotting home from outside the penalty area.

Forde was called into action again in the final stages of the contest and did well to keep out efforts from Gotze and Jerome Boateng, giving his side the chance to snatch a late equaliser.

And Forde's team-mates responded in kind as substitute Jeff Hendrick's telling pass found O'Shea, who fired into the bottom-right corner from the centre of the box to send the travelling support into rapturous celebrations.

The result sees Germany remain in third place in Group D, while Martin O'Neill's men hold on to second place, having recorded two wins and one draw.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE