Giovanni Trapattoni has insisted he does not care how his Ireland team play, as long as they win.
Ireland boss insists victory was the most important thing
Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni has insisted he does not care how his team play, as long as they win.
The veteran Italian stated before their narrow 1-0 victory over minnows Armenia that the result was the only thing that counted.
It was a difficult encounter in a boiling hot Yerevan Republican Stadium for the Irish, but Birmingham midfielder Keith Fahey sealed a hard-earned victory deep into the second half to give them the perfect start to their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign in Group B.
"It's not easy for a coach or a manager to say before the game, 'we will win'," said Trapattoni.
"We have to respect our opponents and we must have respect for this opponent.
"I felt we could win this game, but my colleague from Armenia would have thought they could win it too.
"I knew it would be a very, very difficult game for us, but I think over the 90 minutes, we deserved to win it.
"For us, it is a very, very important victory because we have started the campaign with this result away from home. That creates confidence and we can go on from here.
"I saw the last qualification for the World Cup and Armenia lost one or two games, but played very well.
"I think it will not be easy also for other teams coming here."
Shocked
Fahey's strike was his first for his country in his first competitive game, and the 27-year-old admitted he did not know what to do following what proved to be the decider.
"I didn't know what to do. I hadn't scored for about a year and a couple of months since the promotion day, so it was a great way to get it," said Fahey.
"I was a bit shocked, to be honest. It's the thing you dream of when you are a kid - even not so long ago, it was a dream for me to play for Ireland and score the winning goal.
"But the main thing is the three points, everyone realises that. Spain came here and struggled, so it was great to get the three points."
