Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill has heaped praise on his players after their 3-1 victory against the Faroe Islands left them one win away from securing Euro 2016 qualification.

The Irish can book their place in the finals by beating Hungary at Windsor Park on Monday, and O'Neill has urged his team to rise to the occasion.

"I thought it was a great team performance and we showed how much set pieces are a strength for us. We try to make out opponents defend," BBC Sport quotes him as saying.

"We simply have to get over the line now and we want to do it on Monday night.

"We seem to have come through unscathed and it would be fantastic if we could do it in front of our own fans at Windsor Park."

O'Neill went on to describe the prospect of Euro 2016 qualification as a "magnificent achievement" and insist that it is no less than what his squad deserves.

"This group of players has really developed over the past couple of years and it would be a magnificent achievement," he added.

"There are some great players who deserve to get to a finals - Aaron Hughes has 97 caps, he wasn't in the side tonight but still came from Australia to be part of this squad."

A brace from Gareth McAuley and a Kyle Lafferty strike helped Ireland overcome the Faroe Islands on Friday evening.

Written by
Mark Langshaw