Aiden McGeady praised for his brace in Ireland’s 2-1 win over Georgia

Aiden McGeady was the hero for the Republic of Ireland in the Euro 2016 qualification contest against Georgia. The 28-year-old notched the game-opening goal in the 23rd minute. After the game was tied up for 52 minutes, the Everton man spectacularly struck in the 90th minute to give his country the 2-1 victory.

Manager Martin O’Neill had nothing but praise for the midfielder’s excellent performance that was highlighted by the brace.

“He was the only player on the field that was scoring the goal. He really is a fantastic talent,” O’Neill said, per Sky Sports.

“He probably thinks at this age he should have been up there with the very finest players. He has that talent and he showed that tonight.”

Forward Robbie Keane hit a similar note regarding McGeady’s timeliness on the goalscoring end.

“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,” Keane said.

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

Edging out this win was a testament to the character and resolve of Ireland, O’Neill believes.

“We scored a goal got a goal in front, and we were at our most comfortable when they equalised. It changed the complexion and momentum of the game…There was moments in the second half when it might have been worrying for us, but we’ve seen it through. 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.”