Updated at 22.46
A VICTORY FOR ENGLAND could potentially be beneficial for the Irish team.
The reason stems from tonight’s Group A finale. After this evening’s results, France finished first on seven points, with Switzerland second on five points, Albania third on three points and Romania last on one point.
Meanwhile, wins for Wales and England tomorrow would leave Group B looking as follows – England: 7 points, Wales: 6 points, Slovakia: 3 points, Russia 1 point.
An England draw or loss would, however, result in more than one team finishing on four points, thus potentially complicating matters for Martin O’Neill’s men.
If the England win materialises, however, a win for Ireland against Italy — as unlikely as it may seem in the aftermath of yesterday’s comprehensive loss against Belgium — would leave the Boys in Green on four points and at least third in the group.
Assuming Ireland finish third, they would qualify as one of the four best third-place teams, with fellow third-place sides Slovakia (assuming England beat them) and Albania both a point behind them in this hypothetical scenario.
It’s admittedly an unlikely set of circumstances, but within the realms of possibility nonetheless.
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