A deep cross flies over towards the far post, where it meets the head of Hummels, but the big centre-back, who has been playing as a striker for the past 10 minutes, can only send his effort straight into the hands of Randolph. That is surely that...
90' +3
All eyes are on the clock as we near the final minute of the game. Every single white shirt is camped deep inside the Ireland half of the pitch as they desperately try to find a late equaliser.
90' +2
Hendrick bursts down the right flank and battles with Boateng before earning his side a corner. Unsurprisingly, they take it short before earning themselves another, and once again they keep the ball near the byline as they look to run the clock down as best they can.
90'
The fourth officlal has indicated that there will be four minutes of added time.
89'
W. Hoolahan gets yellow.
Germany just can't find a way through the Ireland defence, who have been absolutely excellent all evening long. Frustrated to find his path blocked, Kroos ends up unleashing an audacious shot from 30 yards out that flies well over the top of the crossbar.
88'
Muller twists and turns on the left-hand side of the Ireland penalty area as he desperately tries to find a way past Christie, but the young left-back comes out on top before forcing the Bayern Munich man into accidentally knocking the ball out of play for a goal kick, much to the delight of the Ireland fans, who are singing and dancing in the stands.
86'
M. Hummels gets yellow.
Ireland successfully deal with another Germany attack before Long flies forward on a great run towards the halfway line, where he's clumsily tripped over by Hummels, who receives a yellow card as a result.
84'
K. Volland enters the game and replaces İ. Gündoğan.
At the end of another frantic Germany attack, Brady drops to the ground and looks to be in real trouble as he receives medical attention. Ireland have used all three substitutions so the hosts are going to have to finish the game with 10 men if the Norwich City winger is unable to continue.
Germany have made their final change of the night, with Gundogan making way for Volland.
82'
Excellent strike by Boateng! The centre-back unleashes a thumping shot from 30 yards out that looks set for the top left-hand corner of the net, but Randolph does well to punch the effort out for a corner with a strong diving save.
80'
Nine green shirts sit incredibly deep inside their own penalty area, denying Germany the opportunity to find a way through. Kroos is eventually able to fire in a cross from the right flank but it's sent too near to Randolph, who is easily able to deal with the danger as a result.
Minute
Description
78'
What a miss by Muller! A low cross from Hector rolls past five players before finding the Bayern Munich forward, who is in acres of space 12 yards away from goal, but somehow he ends up firing his strike just wide of the far post. That was easily Germany's best chance of the game!
77'
K. Bellarabi enters the game and replaces M. Ginter.
Germany have made a substitution, and it's an attacking one, with Bellarabi coming on to take the place of Ginter.
76'
Every Ireland player is camped deep inside their own half of the pitch as they try to keep the visitors at bay. No matter what they try to do, Germany just can't seem to get through the sea of green shirts in front of them.
74'
And now Gundogan unleashes a strike from just outside of the penalty area, but the Ireland defence do extremely well to close the defensive midfielder down and force him into sending his thumping shot out of play for a goal kick.
72'
Hummels goes close! Germany break forward incredibly quickly before earning themselves a corner on the left wing. It's flung straight onto the head of the aforementioned defender, who sends his bullet header just over the top of the crossbar.
71'
The Aviva Stadium is absolutely rocking, and with good reason. Germany have completely dominated possession thus far but now find themselves a goal down with less than 20 minutes left to play.
70'
S. Long has scored a goal for Republic of Ireland! Assist by D. Randolph.
GOAL! Ireland have taken the lead! Completely against the run of play, Randolph lunches a bouncing pass over the top of the Germany defence and into the path of Long, who beats both Hector and Boateng with ease before firing an excellent strike past Neuer and into the top left-hand corner of the net. Extraordinary!
69'
D. Meyler enters the game and replaces S. Ward.
Meyler comes on to replace Ward, who seems to have picked up a slight injury and limps off the pitch.
68'
And now Muller causes the Ireland defence problems after weaving his way into the penalty area, but this time it's Ward who dives in front of the forward to stop his pass from reaching Schurrle.
67'
Excellent play by Reus. The Borussia Dortmund man flies down the left wing and cuts inside before sending a dangerous cross into the middle of the six-yard box, but it somehow misses every available white shirt before being scooped away by Brady at the vital moment.
65'
S. Long enters the game and replaces D. Murphy.
Murphy, who has had a difficult evening, makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Long.
64'
Chance for Murphy! Hoolahan breaks forward before teeing up the aforementioned striker, who then unleashes a thumping strike from the edge of the penalty that flies just inches past the near post.
62'
A curling Walters cross is thumped out of play by Boateng, resulting in a throw-in for Ireland on the right flank. It's taken short before Hoolahan and Christie link up well, but the defender ends up straying into an offside position and the linesman's flag is raised just as he's about to unleash a low cross.
60'
Again, Germany completely boss possession deep inside the Ireland half of the pitch before Muller threads a deft pass into the path of Schurrle, but Randolph does well to rush out and deal with the danger with a vital diving save.
58'
Germany go close again! They break away quickly before Muller cuts inside from the right wing and unleashes a low shot from 20 yards out, but Schurrle is in a slightly offside position and, as a result, the linesman's flag is immediately raised.
56'
Fantastic chance for Schurrle! A thumping clearance by Neuer flies into the path of Reus, who then spins past Christie before sending a dangerous cross over to the aforementioned Wolfsburg man. He immediately unleashes a rocket of a volley from just inside the penalty area but it ends up flying a yard or two over the top of the crossbar.
54'
A poor clearance from Hummels loops up into the air and right onto the foot of Walters, but the striker's attempted volley with his back to goal ends up flying well wide of the goal before he's penalised for a push on Neuer.
52'
A Germany attack breaks down, allowing Hoolahan to fly forward and into the visitors' half of the pitch. He then tries to tee up Walters, who has drifted out to the right flank, but his attempted pass is underhit and, as a result, is easily cut out by Hector.
50'
McCarthy wrestles Ozil to the ground, resulting in a free kick for Germany midway inside the Ireland half of the pitch. They take it short and work it over Schurrle, who then unleashes a thumping shot from the edge of the penalty area that clears the top of the crossbar by quite some distance.
48'
Germany patiently pass the ball around deep inside the Ireland half of the pitch, but they're unable to find a way through the sea of green shirts camped in front of them and are eventually forced to play the ball back to Neuer.
46'
And we're underway once again!
45' +3
Schurrle twists and turns on the left wing as he tries to beat Christie but is forced to spin round and play the ball back to Hummels. The defender then tries to find Ozil with a chipped pass forward but it's overhit and ends up bouncing into the hands of Randolph.
45' +2
Muller is fouled by Brady midway inside the Ireland half of the pitch, resulting in a free kick for Germany. They take it short before Kroos tries to tee up Ginter on the right flank, but the midfielder's attempted pass is poorly underhit and is comfortably cut out by Ward.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.
44'
D. Randolph enters the game and replaces S. Given.
Given is stretchered off the pitch to be replaced by Randolph, who comes on to make his competitive international debut.
43'
Given pulls up after taking a goal kick and looks to be in real trouble. He immediately drops to the floor and points to the substitutes' bench, indicating that his night is over.
41'
Ozil almost makes it 1-0! Ginter and Muller link up brilliantly on the right flank before the latter sends an excellent low cross right into the feet of the aforementioned Arsenal man, but he ends up firing his first-time shot just inches past the near post. Given was rooted to the spot and looked well and truly beaten.
40'
Gundogan picks out Ginter, who immediately tries to curl a cross towards Muller, but Keogh does well to get in front of the pass before firing it back towards the halfway line, where Germany pick up the ball and start another attacking move once again.
38'
Ireland are under plenty of pressure once again. This time it's Ward who gets up high to head the ball out for another Germany corner, and O'Shea comfortably deals with the set-piece on the edge of the penalty area.
36'
Schurrle immediately gets involved in the action, breaking down the right flank before sending a dangerous cross into the heart of the penalty area. It can only find O'Shea, however, who meets the pass with his head before Ward boots the ball away from danger with a thumping volley.
35'
A. Schürrle enters the game and replaces M. Götze.
Gotze seems to have picked up an injury after clashing with McCarthy, and he's been forced off to be replaced by Schurrle.
34'
Walters goes close! Ireland work their way down the left flank before Hoolahan tees up the aforementioned striker with a wonderful cut-back, but the Stoke City man's close-range, toe-poked effort ends up deflecting off the outstretched foot of Kroos and out for a corner.
33'
Ireland patiently pass the ball around just inside the Germany half of the pitch, resulting in a cries of delight from the home fans, who are thoroughly enjoying witnessing their side's first lengthy spell of possession.
31'
Gotze and McCarthy battle for the ball just outside of the Ireland penalty area before the German crashes to the ground. Believing that he's about to be awarded a free kick, he ends up handling the ball, but as a result the decision ends up going the other way, much to his disbelief.
29'
Gotze and Reus link up wonderfully well down the left wing before the latter sets up Hector with a deft back-heel. The defender then whips a dangerous cross towards the near post but McCarthy jumps in front of the pass to stop it from finding Muller, who was in a great position in front of goal.
27'
Ireland push forward again, this time down the left wing through Ward. The defender sends the ball into the middle of the pitch, where Hoolahan tries to push his way past Gundogan but ends up coming off second place, allowing the German midfielder to fly towards the halfway line.
25'
Walters goes down inside the penalty area, but nothing is given! Christie battles well with Hector before whipping a low cross towards the near post. It finds the feet of the aforementioned striker, who immediately falls to the floor after clashing with Hummels, but the referee ignores his pleas for a penalty and instead points for a goal kick.
23'
Once again, Germany work the ball around quickly and crisply before sending it out to Hector on the left wing, but the defender's attempted cross is completely mishit and ends up flying over the top of the crossbar and out for a goal kick.
21'
Germany are in completely control at the moment. They're continually finding plenty of space when pushing forward and, as a result, the Ireland back four are finding it increasingly difficult to keep them at bay.
19'
Ozil scores, but it's disallowed! Once again, Germany find so much joy down the left flank before Muller sends an excellent low cross towards the near post. The aforementioned Arsenal attacking midfielder beats his man before tucking the ball into the back of the net, but, after a few seconds of celebrating, the linesman's flag is eventually raised for offside.
17'
After dealing with another dangerous Germany attack, the ball is thumped up the pitch, where Murphy desperately battles with Boateng, but the Bayern Munich centre-back comes out on top and ends up winning possession back for the visitors.
15'
Fantastic interception by Keogh! Germany, who are in completely control at the moment, work the ball around patiently before Ginter sends an excellent low cross towards Gotze at the back post, but the aforementioned Derby defender throws his body in the way of the pass to send it trickling just past the near post.
13'
What a chance for Gundogan! Gotze flies down the left flank on a wonderful run past Christie before cutting the ball back to the aforementioned midfielder, who unleashes a first-time, side-footed shot from the edge of the box that deflects off O'Shea and out for a corner.
12'
Germany work the ball around wonderfully well before earning themselves yet another corner. It's sent out to the edge of the penalty area, where it finds Gundogan, but the midfielder ends up losing the ball almost immediately. Hoolahan then attempts to fly forward on a counter-attack but he's quickly closed down by a sea of white shirts and is forced to play the ball back to O'Shea.
11'
Hoolahan breaks past Boateng to get on the end of a loose, bouncing ball forward, but the midfielder's run is slightly mistimed and the linesman ends up raising his flag for offside.
9'
Boateng goes close! The resulting corner is curled into the middle of the box, where it finds the unmarked defender, but he ends up sending his bullet header just over the top of the crossbar.
8'
Chance for Reus! Ginter breaks down the right flank before sending a cross over the top of the Ireland defence and into the path of Reus, who is left completely unmarked on the left-hand side of the penalty area. He brings the ball down before unleashing a thumping volley that deflects off Christie and out for another corner.
7'
Ireland work the ball around well before Ward flies down the left wing to get on the end of a pass from Walters, but Boateng does well to get in front of the left-back before shepherding the ball out of play for a goal kick.
5'
Hoolahan accidentally handles the ball on the left wing, resulting in a free kick for Germany in a dangerous position. The set-piece is poor and fails to beat Walters, but the visitors immediately come back and play some lovely football before winning themselves another corner, which fails to result in a chance on goal.
4'
After a lengthy period of Germany possession, Ireland quickly win the ball back before pushing forward on a determined attack. The ball is worked over to Ward, who then curls a cross into the heart of the box, but it's cut out well by Neuer.
2'
Germany immediately break away a quick attack down the left wing, with Gotze flying past Christie before sending a dangerous cross into the middle of the box, where it deflects off Ward and out for an early corner.
1'
And we're off! Germany get us underway, attacking from left to right.
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Euro 2016 qualifying clash between the Republic of Ireland and Germany. My name is Ben Cullimore and I will be keeping you up to date with all of the action from the Aviva Stadium.
It’s been an excellent qualifying campaign for Ireland, who head into their penultimate game knowing that equalling or beating Scotland’s result against Poland will guarantee them a third-place finish and, if other results go their way, a spot in the play-offs. Martin O’Neill’s side are unbeaten in their last four games and have yet to lose a single competitive clash at home since September 2013, but tonight’s encounter is set to be their most difficult test thus far. Last year’s meeting between the two sides in Gelsenkirchen ended in a narrow 1-1 draw, with John O’Shea scoring the visitors’ only goal deep into injury time at the end of the second half.
Since that draw (their only one of the qualifying campaign), Germany have won all of their previous five Euro 2016 qualifiers, including hard-fought victories against both Poland and Scotland at the start of last month. As a result, the current world champions head to Dublin knowing that they need just one point to book their tickets to France. Their chances of succeeding have been given a boost by a raft of injuries and suspensions for Ireland, who are set to be without Seamus Coleman, Marc Wilson, Glenn Whelan and James McClean, whilst they also have history on their side, as the hosts haven’t beaten Die Mannschaft in over 21 years.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this evening…
Republic of Ireland XI (4-1-2-1-2): Given; Christie, Keogh, O’Shea, Ward; McCarthy; Hendrick, Brady; Hoolahan; Walters, Murphy.
Martin O’Neill has decided to make four changes to the Ireland side that started against Georgia last month, with Cyrus Christie, Richard Keogh, Stephen Ward and Daryl Murphy coming into the squad to replace Seamus Coleman, Ciaran Clark, Glenn Whelan and Robbie Keane.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
Meanwhile, Germany boss Joachim Low has made just two alterations to the side that featured in the aforementioned win away to Scotland, with Emre Can and Bastian Schweinsteiger making way for Matthias Ginter and Marco Reus, respectively.
HALF-TIME: REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 0-0 GERMANY
It's been a slow and, quite frankly, lacklustre opening 45 minutes for Germany, who have dominated possession but have failed to make it count. Ireland will be pleased with how they've performed thus far, with both O'Shea and Keogh looking particularly solid in the middle of the hosts' back four. However, at the other end of the pitch they have failed to find much joy, with Murphy looking increasingly isolated against a Germany defence that have spent more time attacking than defending.
The two teams are making their way back out onto the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 1-0 GERMANY
They have done it! Ireland hold on to pick up one of their biggest ever victories to give themselves a chance of automatically qualifying for Euro 2016!
The outstanding victory means that Ireland head into their final group stage game knowing that a win will send them straight to France without having to go through the play-offs. Thanks to Scotland's dramatic draw with Poland, Martin O'Neill's side are guaranteed at least a third-place finish, but after tonight's performance they will be full of confidence about their chances of picking up a fourth consecutive win in three days' time.
Germany look absolutely shell-shocked, and it's no wonder why. They absolutely dominated possession from start to finish but just couldn't find a way past Ireland's excellent defence, which remained resolute and well-organised throughout. They just didn't create enough to trouble the hosts, who fully deserve all three points.
My name is Ben Cullimore and it's been an absolute pleasure describing all of the action to you this evening. Until next time, goodbye!
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