Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez said his players "gave everything" in the 2-0 defeat by Austria in Vienna and throughout the World Cup qualifiers. "The boys were out on their feet by the end of the game and I am proud of them.
"It was only a 1-0 game but they got one on the break while we should have scored ourselves in injury-time. We had other chances too but couldn't convert.
"We know we have a bit of work to do but we competed well in most of the games in this campaign," said Sanchez.
The NI boss added that his side were "disappointed to lose" and claimed that Damien Johnson was unlucky to be sent-off in the second half.
"He is a small man from Ireland while his opponent is a big man from Austria.
"If the Austrian player hadn't made such a fuss, the referee would probably have only booked Damien. But because of his reaction he issued a red card.
"I have to admit though that the tackle was a bit rash.
"We finished fourth in the group when we were seeded to finish fifth so it has been a reasonable series of matches."
Sanchez reserved special praise for the 1700 travelling supporters who made the trip to Vienna.
"They travelled here in huge numbers and really lifted us. They can be very proud of themselves," he said.
MMIX
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