EURO 2016: Northern Ireland can have no regrets says skipper Steven Davis

Northern Ireland made their exit from Euro 2016 in cruel fashion to Wales.
Northern Ireland's Steven Davis with Wales'  Joe AllenNorthern Ireland's Steven Davis with Wales'  Joe Allen
Northern Ireland's Steven Davis with Wales' Joe Allen

An own goal by Gareth McAuley after 75 minutes was enough to see the Welsh though.

Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis said: “It wasn’t meant to be our day but we gave everything and we can’t have any regrets.

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“First half we definitely had better chances, you have to take one and I don’t think there was a lot in the game.

“(We’re) disappointed in the manner they scored, (Gareth) McAuley doesn’t deserve that because he has been excellent.

“We are devastated but it was a magnificent experience, the fans have enjoyed the journey as much as us.”

Wales manager Coleman told BBC One: “It is amazing, first and foremost I have to say commiserations to Michael and his team, they were better than us today and made it difficult.

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“We showed a lot of heart and courage, we showed another side to our game. They have a bit of spirit and when they don’t play well they hang on. It wasn’t pretty but we got through it.

“I’d rather be standing here in the quarter-final having not played at our best.

“We have to give credit to Northern Ireland, what they do is hard to play against, they are dangerous and we had to be patient. We hung on in there, showed a lot of courage and we got the result.

“It was a classic example today, Northern Ireland were the underdogs and you wouldn’t have thought that looking at the game - that is football.

“We don’t look further than the next 45 minutes, we can’t afford to but we will enjoy this though, we will enjoy tonight.”