Tuesday 17 November 2015 08:48, UK
Martin O'Neill praised both his players in and the role of Roy Keane after the Republic of Ireland beat Bosnia-Herzegovina to qualify for Euro 2016.
Two Jonathan Walters goals were enough to give them a 2-0 win at the Aviva Stadium to progress 3-1 on aggregate.
O'Neill took over Giovanni Trapattoni in November 2013 and has now emulated his predecessor in leading the Republic of Ireland to the European Championships.
"I couldn't be more proud, [the players] have been absolutely fantastic right from the start, way back in Georgia when Aidan McGeady scored a late goal to win it 2-1, I always felt those point might be very important come the end of the tournament and so they proved," O'Neill said.
"I think the results against Germany were just absolutely fantastic. I hold the players in absolutely enormous esteem.
"We might be short of a number of things but I tell you what [we have] a lot of courage and determination, fighting until the end is something they possess in abundance."
Roy Keane joined assistant manager when O'Neill took over and his impact cannot be overlooked according to the former Celtic manager.
"If you're talking about big decisions then bringing Roy Keane in is as good a decision that I've made in quite some time," O'Neill added.
"He's been absolutely enormous for us and the rest of the backroom staff and I couldn't be more proud.
"He's not taking too many of the accolades but he has been fantastic for us, both for myself and the backroom staff and, naturally, the players."
As for the victory that sealed his side's place at Euro 2016, O'Neill insisted that winning the game was always his plan despite knowing a goalless draw would also have seen his team qualify.
"We always felt that we had to win the game tonight, I thought that Bosnia always have the capabilities of scoring a goal and that if they did then momentum shifts towards them," he said.
"We had to stem that flow that was coming against us and also Daryl Murphy was feeling his calf from Friday night. I thought James McClean and Shane [Long], a national hero here after the Germany game, would give us that wee bit of extra strong and momentum.
"This is a special night. It is very, very special, it can't be taken away from us. We've had a long road, we've had 12 games and we've been beaten twice. I think it's been very special.
"When I look back, this will be a very proud moment. We will have a massive contingent going to France and that's why I'm very pleased."
