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Martin O’Neill praises his Republic of Ireland heroes and Roy Keane

Jon Walters described the Republic of Ireland’s victory over Bosnia as the greatest moment in his career but insisted the acclaim for reaching Euro 2016 should be equally divided among a “team of heroes”.
Walters scored both goals in the 2-0 win as Martin O’Neill’s team joined England, Northern Ireland and Wales in qualifying for next summer’s tournament. O’Neill identified the Stoke City forward as Ireland’s outstanding performer during the qualifying stages but Walters said it was a victory for the team’s collective spirit.
Walters opened the scoring with a first-half penalty and then doubled Ireland’s lead in the 70th minute to set up a 3-1 aggregate win. “Walters has had a qualifying tournament to remember,” O’Neill said. “There have been a number of fantastic performances and fantastic performers and I think Walters has topped the lot. He has been exceptional.”
O’Neill added: “I couldn’t be more proud because they are a fantastic bunch of players. They all want to play for their country. That’s important because you hear that some players find it a chore playing for their country. Well, I’ve not experienced that at all in my two years.

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