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O'Neill defends cagey loss: It's no fun to lose 7-0

The Northern Ireland boss claims playing an open game against Germany would have been naive and unrealistic, adding that his men deserve to progress from the group stages

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill made no apologies for how they qualified to the second round of Euro 2016 following Tuesday's cagey loss to Germany.

O'Neill's men finished third in Group C after a tight 1-0 defeat to the world champions, Mario Gomez netting the winner in the first half in Paris.

And Turkey's subsequent 2-0 success over Czech Republic in Group D meant Northern Ireland were assured of a spot in the last 16 as one of the four best third-placed sides.