Ireland begins qualifiers with a win

Everton winger Aiden McGeady got the Republic of Ireland’s Euro bid off to a flying start with a 2-1 win over Georgia in Tbilisi.

Manager Martin O’Neill and his assistant Roy Keane’s first competitive game in charge appeared to be heading for a draw, after Tornike Okriashvili cancelled out McGeady’s 24th minute opener.

But McGeady bagged a crucial three points away from home with a magical 90th minute winner, curling home a precious winner.

Captain Robbie Keane lauded McGeady’s skill.

“If you score a goal like that, you deserve to win the game. If anyone else did that, the top players in the world, you would be talking about it for a long time.

“The turn, the touch, the finish – only he could do that. No-one else on that field would have been able to do that.”

O’Neill suggested there was better to come from his men.

“I think there’s improvement in the team – we’ve won away from home, which is terrific – but there’s definitely improvement in the team.”

Next month O’Neill’s men face Gibraltar and Germany.

Northern Ireland also came out of the blocks brightly – Kyle Lafferty and Niall McGinn providing the late goals for a 2-1 win over Hungary in Budapest.

Michael O’Neill’s side’s hopes of registering a first away success in four years looked unlikely when former Watford striker Tamas Priskin headed home a 74th-minute corner.

But with 10 minutes remaining, McGinn’s tap-in after a great run from Lafferty put the visitors back in the game.

Then on 87 minutes McGinn turned provider who managed to scramble the ball over the line.