Belgium needs to show ‘grit’ against Ireland at Euro 2016

“If we think that everything will come by itself, we are heading the wrong way”. “If they are disappointed themselves with not playing well against Italy, they will feel they can rectify it”.

“Jon has a good mindset anyway and that’s what he is aiming for”, said O’Neill.

“Clarky [Ciaran Clark] and Josh [John O’Shea] kept the big man [Zlatan Ibrahimovic] quiet for large periods of the game, but unfortunately they got the goal”. He’s very, very important to us and it was great to have him on the field [against Sweden]. The players routinely have to be accompanied if they want to get out and see the sights but when he went to have a wander around the Palace in Versailles it was closed for the most un-royal of reasons, industrial action. It was little things like that, it was getting a bit sore as it went on. With one point on the board and Belgium to play on Saturday, what do Ireland need to do to build on that good performance?

“He’s going to be struggling for the game. We’ll just be doing our part to get ready for them”.

The Belgians slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Italy on Monday and O’Neill said his side would have to be wary of the attacking threats posed by the likes of Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne.

O’Neill revealed that Walters would not be fit to play football if the fixture was taking place today.

Despite providing the cross for Clark’s own-goal, Ibrahimovic was denied the opportunity to score in a record-breaking fourth consecutive European Championship finals, and O’Neill said: “I thought the players played him exceptionally well”.

O’Neill said: “When the group was announced, I think that Belgium finishing any worse than second is not something that they would have contemplated, so they will be coming out all guns blazing”.

“You have to focus on the next game and that’s what I’m doing now”.

However, Brady is wary of the quality Wilmots has at his disposal and knows the Republic will have to at least match the levels they reached for long periods in Monday night’s 1-1 draw with Sweden if they are to add to their Group E points total.

“They qualify for competitions because they are a strong, strong footballing nation”.

He said: ‘He’s a top, top individual player.

“We will have to show the same attitude we did against Sweden but that’s not a problem for us. They’ll be up for the game against Ukraine”.