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Gareth McAuley has nothing but praise for ‘impossible’ Germany

 Northern Ireland’s Gareth McAuley contests a header with Germany’s Thomas Muller. Picture by PA
 Northern Ireland’s Gareth McAuley contests a header with Germany’s Thomas Muller. Picture by PA  Northern Ireland’s Gareth McAuley contests a header with Germany’s Thomas Muller. Picture by PA

WHATEVER opposition Northern Ireland face from now on, it’s unlikely that they’ll face a tougher test than they endured against Germany. Another 1-0 defeat won’t be celebrated, of course, as that will mean an exit from Euro 2016, but surviving by that scoreline on Tuesday night in the Parc des Princes understandably felt like quite an achievement.

Veteran defender Gareth McAuley was able to laugh about the experience afterwards, saying: “I was all right for the first two-and-a-half minutes! It was one of the toughest games of football I’ve played in a long, long time.”

The World Cup-holders could have netted five times in the opening quarter but the 36-year-old centreback insisted there was no point altering approach or formation: “It was just a case of keep going until half-time really and then ask us what we felt, what we wanted to do.

But I don’t think any changes to the system would have done enough really, they had that much dominance. It’s a 1-0 defeat but after that it felt like we got something from the game.

“Their movement is incredible, the timing of their pass, the timing of their runs, the quality of the forward runners. It was impossible to compete with at times.”

The main reason Northern Ireland escaped with only a one-goal defeat – Mario Gomez scoring before the half hour – which helped them into the next round as one of the four best third-place finishers, was the superlative showing of goalkeeper Michael McGovern, as McAuley readily agreed: “Fortunately Mickey was on absolute fire behind us and pulled off incredible last-ditch saves that kept us in the game, that kept us fighting.

“I’d like to see some of the saves back. Some were incredible and it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. He was a bit embarrassed in the dressing room when we gave him a round of applause and all patting him on the back but that’s a mark of him, how humble he is.

“It’s his moment. Ozil got man-ofthe-match and was incredible but what a performance Michael put in for us.”

Arsenal playmaker Ozil was indeed superb, but McAuley and his colleagues had to face a host of Germans coming at them repeatedly, as he detailed: “The wide players would come in off the line and their timing coming in off the line was incredible. You really couldn’t do anything about it. They run you away, create space for team-mates, then they come in off the line and you’re trying to face them up.

“At the same time Ozil finds pockets everywhere and some of his one-touch passing, laying balls into players making forward runs is, well... It’s just a catch-22 situation all the time.”

Although Northern Ireland were operating with four at the back with the wide midfielders – Jamie Ward and Stuart Dallas – tracking back to provide protection, it was still incredibly hard to restrict a German team almost playing 2-2-6, as McAuley acknowledged:

“They are that comfortable in possession, and both full-backs are pushed so far on, that it’s nearly six against six across the back and they’re still keeping and moving the ball.

“They make you run and run, wear you down and then wear you out. The timing of the passing and the weight of the passes they play – especially Ozil and Toni Kroos – is top-notch. That’s why they all play for the very best clubs.”

Whether or not Germany are now ‘the team to beat’ in France, the Larne man was hugely impressed by their performance, and how difficult they made life for his team: “They’re certainly very, very good! It’s the way they move the ball. We wanted to play on the counter-attack but it’s not very often they give the ball away so that you can do that.

“They were stretching us and moving us about and making us run and run. When you do get the ball back after they’ve made you run that much you’re tired and what can you do with it?”

McAuley was speaking before ????? were confirmed as Northern Ireland’s knock-out opponents and the West Brom defender was happy to face anyone in the last 16: “We were written off but either of those games – Wales or France – will be fantastic. The host nation in Lyon or Wales in Paris would be incredible.

“Our crowd are unbelievable, what they give us. They just give you something extra to keep going and digging in. Hopefully we can give them another party at the weekend…

“The progression over the last twoand-a-half years has been brilliant… A lot of the lads have blossomed. It’s a great time for Northern Irish football and to be involved.”