McGeady glad as Ireland come good in Georgia
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Article summary
"That's not too bad," smiled Aiden McGeady after learning that he had scored the first UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying goal in the Republic of Ireland's 2-1 win in Georgia.
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Article body
• Aiden McGeady pleased to register first European Qualifiers goal
• Everton FC man keen "to score more" for Republic of Ireland
• Irish boss Martin O'Neill knows Georgia can do better
• Coach Temuri Ketsbaia says Georgia "did not deserve to lose"
Aiden McGeady, Republic of Ireland midfielder
Was that really the first goal of the whole campaign? That's not too bad. The first goal came from a bit of luck. Jon Walters knocked the ball on, Robbie Keane dummied it and James McCarthy showed a good bit of composure. He could have taken a shot himself but he slid it in for me.
Of course, I would like to score more. In the qualifying campaign for the last EUROs, I feel I played well but still not what I am capable of. This is a good start for me and the team – hopefully we can build on it.
I know I need to score more for Ireland. At club level it's not too bad, but I should score more for my country.
Martin O'Neill, Republic of Ireland manager
Aiden McGeady is one of the most talented players in our team. He scored twice tonight and deserves to be praised. We controlled the ball over the whole game. We could [have lost] after they scored an equaliser, but we avoided that. Our team has developed during last two months and our performance has been getting better.
To be honest, we didn't do too much to score our second goal. Georgia didn't show all their qualities – they can play better. I was a bit surprised because it looked like Georgia would be satisfied with a draw. Probably they are not at their highest level right now. I know they can play better.
Temuri Ketsbaia, Georgia coach
A draw would probably have satisfied both sides, but unfortunately mistakes are not forgiven here. We delivered 99% of what we had planned, but luck turned away from us in the very last instant. We did not deserve to lose.
They had a player who managed to win the game for them. This game is already in the past – we have to switch our focus to the next one. I said that if Georgia had no chance of qualifying for the finals, I would quit. We have two games coming soon. Let's see how it goes.