The Norwich midfielder's goal was cancelled out by an unfortunate mistake from Craig Clark in his own net, but he was happy with what he saw in the tournament debut
Goalscorer Wes Hoolahan took pride in Republic of Ireland's performance as Martin O'Neill's team claimed a 1-1 draw in their Euro 2016 opener against Sweden.
Ireland made most of the running during the first half, with the impressive Jeff Hendrick drawing a sharp save from Andreas Isaksson before rattling the Sweden goalkeeper's crossbar.
Hoolahan also shone and the Norwich City midfielder would pip Hendrick to the man-of-the-match honours by crashing home a fine opener on the end of Seamus Coleman's cross - sparking delirium among the massed ranks of green-clad fans inside the Stade de France.