Manchester City fullback Greg Cunningham was delighted with his Republic of Ireland debut in their win over Algeria.
The City left-back played the full 90 minutes.
"It was an amazing night, fantastic," Cunningham told City's website. "I had an idea I'd be playing after the training session we had on Thursday, but I wasn't certain.
"I played at left-back with what was mostly the regular starting eleven, so I knew I must be in with a chance, but I didn't want to get too far ahead of myself until I found out for certain.
"Later, the team was pinned up and, thankfully, my name was on it so I called up my parents straight away and let them know. They were over the moon for me."