O´Neill defends Georgia display, urges Ireland to ´fight´ again

Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill says his side must again “fight for everything” if they are to overcome Moldova in World Cup qualifying on Sunday.

O’Neill’s men edged past Georgia with a 1-0 win on Thursday in a scrappy affair as Ireland toiled for long periods before Seamus Coleman’s winner.

However, the former Sunderland boss insisted that victory was typical of his side and is hoping they can now battle to another three points in their next fixture.

“What’s lost is that we actually won the game [against Georgia] with a piece of brilliance from Seamus,” he told a news conference.

“The three games we’ve played against Georgia – I’ve said this before – within a year, a year and a half, the games were difficult for us.

“We’re not the type of team that are going to wipe the floor with people. We’re not. We have to fight for everything – we know that ourselves – and tomorrow night will be the same again for us.”

O’Neill defended the Georgia display in Dublin, insisting that all teams suffer slumps in their performance levels.

“It’s not a case of raising ourselves against the best opposition,” he continued.

“Everybody goes through these periods, even teams like Portugal. Portugal won the competition [Euro 2016] and then lost to Switzerland. Thinks like this happen.

“We have to try to raise ourselves again for this [Moldova]. It’s a big game for us and, obviously, the result is the most important thing.”