Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr is confident he has a squad of players capable of building on the success of this year.
Ireland might not have produced the most inspiring performance of their 13 matches in 2004 in beating Croatia, but Kerr is happy with the resourcefulness and adaptability of his players.
"I have often talked about trying to build a squad of adaptable players who understand their roles within the team, and different roles if that is what is required," he said.
Robbie Keane grabbed the winner in the 24th minute, his 24th international goal. He is now the Republic's top scorer of all time.