Euro 2024: We matched one of the best teams in the world, says Ogbene

Ireland forward Chiedozie Ogbene believes Stephen Kenny’s side set the standard in Monday’s defeat to France but insists it’s one they must maintain if they are to succeed in this year’s Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.

Ogbene played a starring role as Ireland restricted the World Cup runners-up to very few chances in their opening qualifier. Although it ended in a 1-0 defeat, he praised his team-mates’ application against such high-calibre opposition.

“That’s the standard we set, to go out and perform like that every game. That’s the expectation now we have of ourselves,” said Ogbene, who picked up the player-of-the-match award after a superb performance.

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“Overall, I think we matched one of, if not the best, team in the world. It’s disappointing we didn’t get at least a point. The application from the boys was outstanding, we left everything on the pitch. As John O’Shea (assistant coach) said, that’s the level now, that’s the bar we have set.

“You’re asking a young team to compete against the best in the world. It’s a process. We’re trying to build into a winning mentality, and that’s not going to happen overnight. We know we all want it today, but hopefully sooner rather than later we can get it to go in the right way.”

With Greece and Gibraltar up next, the 25-year-old is aware Ireland must back up Monday night’s spirited display at the Aviva and put points on the board in June

“It’s going to be difficult, different teams pose different threats,” acknowledged the Rotherham forward. “We had a game-plan and tried to stop France from getting total control of the match. When we play Greece away, it might be different. We have a really young squad, but no excuses, the boys want to start winning now.