Six years on from life-saving surgery, the Blackburn Rovers man made his first competitive Republic of Ireland start against Italy, to the amazement of his ex-Everton team-mate
Republic of Ireland defender Seamus Coleman expressed his pride at Shane Duffy's performance against Italy, just six years on from a near fatal accident.
The Blackburn Rovers man was handed his first competitive start by Martin O'Neill in Wednesday's crucial Euro 2016 clash in Lille, and excelled at the heart of the defence.
Duffy's performance was all the more remarkable given that, in 2010, a freak collision in a training session caused an artery connected to his liver to be severed, prompting emergency surgery to save his life.