Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
DOUBLE DARYL’S STILL DREAMING
THE Indian summer gets better and better for Daryl Murphy who is doing his part to help his Russian final curtain dream come true.
The 34-year-old has started the season with new club Nottingham Forest in superb fashion and, after only scoring once in 29 previous internationals, he bagged his second and third Ireland goals last night.
The Waterford-born striker’s finishes in his fifth competitive start under Martin O’neill were top class, even if the opposition was far from it.
In the build-up
Murphy spoke about his hope of finishing on a high at the World Cup – and if he can continue this form into Cardiff on Monday it could just happen.
Jokingly asked if he felt like an overnight sensation, man of the match Murphy quipped: “Looks like it, doesn’t it? Ah no, it was brilliant. I knew that I would get chances and it was just case of taking them when they came.
“It’s just hard work over the years and keeping believing in yourself.
“I came into this season scoring a few goals so the confidence was high coming here and once the manager gave me the nod I needed to produce.
“You just keep going. With age, you mature and you just realise that you need to keep working hard and working at the things you’re good at. Then, hopefully, it will all fall into place.”
Murphy was involved on that night in Lille in Euro 2016 when Ireland needed to beat Italy and did.
The scenario is somewhat similar in Cardiff on Monday, though the Republic and Wales - need results in other groups to go their way if Group D is not to be the unlucky one left out of the play-offs.
“I don’t know, I think we just rise to the occasion in big games,” Murphy shrugged.
“I don’t know what it is, if you look at the big results we’ve had we knew we had to win and I think it’s just our team spirit and a unity.
“We all know that we are going to give it everything on the pitch and if we don’t win we don’t win but we go out there wanting to win every game.
“It’ll be brilliant, absolutely brilliant. These are the games you want to be involved in. I’m no different to anyone else.”
Meanwhile, Cyrus Christie (inset) predicts Ireland’s final World Cup qualifier against Wales will be “fierce”.
The last meeting of the sides, in Dublin in March, became a nasty affair and culminated in a broken leg for Seamus Coleman.
“It definitely is going to be a fierce game,” said Christie, Coleman’s replacement. “The tackles will fly in. It will be very close again. We won’t fear them.”