It was the longest and most agonising night endured by supporters of Northern Ireland. But worth it.
Three hours after their team had been beaten 1-0 by world champions Germany at Parc des Princes, they learned they had qualified for the last 16 of Euro 2016.
The qualifying system in the new 24-team format may have been confusing, but Turkey’s 2-0 win over the Czech Republic meant Northern Ireland would be one of the four best third-placed finishers.
The tournament has not yet seen the back of those thousands of jolly green supporters and their renditions of ‘Will Grigg’s on fire’.
Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland will discover on Wednesday night whether they will face hosts, France, in Lyon or Group B winners, Wales, in Paris when the knockout stages start at the weekend.
Northern Ireland had not been to the finals of a major tournament for 30 years and their fans were determined to make the most of this one.
Half an hour after the final whistle, when the German supporters had long departed, it seemed none of Northern Ireland’s followers had left Parc des Princes. Clearly they did not want their great Euro adventure to end.
As O’Neill acknowledged on Monday, Northern Ireland fans have won many friends in France, and as a result his boys in green have become many people’s second favourite team.
“It has been a non-stop party for the Northern Ireland fans, whatever the results,” former skipper, Neil Lennon, said.
“This tournament is a celebration of football and that is the way it should be. The support for the Northern Ireland team has been magnificent – we are here for the first time and you can see how much it means to us with the commitment the players have shown, and the fans as well, and we are not going home yet.”
.BBC
