Former Ireland defender was on co-commentary duty for us

Stephen Ward feels Ireland's win over Georgia was "well deserved".

The former Boys In Green defender was on co-commentary duty with Off The Ball at the Aviva Stadium tonight

And he was impressed with what he saw, especially in the first half.

"It was a well deserved victory," he said.

"Absolutely thrilled. Great free kick from Conor Hourihane but we could have scored a few more.

Outstanding

"I think the performance and the intensity in the first half was outstanding. Second half was a much more even game. Georgia came back into it but the two lads at the back defended well.

"Randolph, when called upon, was outstanding. So I think overall, Mick will be absolutely delighted. Two 1-0 wins, two clean sheets and maximum points from the first two games.

"Mick will be very pleased. And I think the way the fixtures have fallen - Gibraltar away, Georgia at home - minimum what we would have wanted was six points. Especially with the tests coming up later on in the group."

He also emphasised that the "performance was excellent" and an improvement on Gibraltar.

"All in all, we dominated the game. We probably had the better of the chances and maybe should have scored a few more," said Ward.

But he also felt that the moment Georgia hit the post late on "could have changed the complexion of the result tonight".