Players' reaction: Tom Humphries finds 100th-cap man Steve Staunton and fellow veteran Niall Quinn revelling in their leadership roles

Last of the summer wine for Quinny and Stan. All through this trip they have been inseperable. First pouring their influence and experience over the squad's troubles and then bringing those qualities to bear on the field together. For a decade and a half, they have been soldiering together. They started off as kids, but now Steve Staunton has more caps than any Irishman before him ever had, and Niall Quinn has more international goals than anyone else, and the two of them are loving the old-codgers act, loving every moment of this antic summer.

Stan comes through the mixed zone and if there was ever a tear in his eye about his 100th cap, or the manner in which it was marked, well, old poker face is back.

"Ah yeah," he says and exhales slowly, "nothing less than we expected. To be honest. I thought we had the better of the exchanges, but we left it late and it's another good sign. We kept going till the end."

Well sorry for the fuss, we say. How about this then? You weren't on the pitch when the goal went in.

"No but I was on top of Robbie Keane."

Do you want to rephrase that!

"We were all on top of Robbie Keane!"

That's more like it. No problem with getting Quinn to admit he's having the time of his life. The grin hangs from ear to ear like a skipping rope. He's talking about the crowd, free-associating all the sight and sounds.

"Bigger and better than Italy, the commitment they've shown, the heart. It's up there with all the things. Jaysus, Mick Byrne will be carried out on a stretcher if he doesn't calm down. And the young lads you can see it in their eyes, they are star-struck with the whole World Cup thing. For Robbie, it's a wonderful wonderful moment."

They are the odd couple really; Quinn, the great sloppy sentimentalist who could yack with the press all day long; Staunton, the buttoned-down old pro for whom the words "no comment" are two words too many most of the time.

For Quinn, it's all good times. For Stan, though he's too much the old pro to really admit it, yesterday was an emotional day. The fist-pumping dance he performed at the end before being taken off with Robbie Keane for routine dope testing told its own story.

"It's been a great day, the lads have been fantastic. They gave me a present after pre-match today which took me aback to be honest. I was gobsmacked. They wanted a speech - 'Let's go and beat the Germans.' It hit me for six. We've got a cracking bunch of lads in there and it's the beginning of something special.

"The 100th cap thing, it didn't cross my mind. I've let everybody else do the talking. Today was about getting something against Germany, making sure we didn't get beat, playing positive football. We achieved that. We're still in this competition."

Quinn has had his moments of reflection, too. It's been a wonderful football life and he has few enough days left to know that none of the moments can be taken for granted. "I've been very lucky," he says. "I came on as a sub when Ireland beat Brazil way back in the Eighties, I was on against England in 1988, then there was 1990 and all that. All the big nights. I feel so lucky. This is right up there. You know, with all the pressure there's been and then the crowds there tonight, you say to yourself we'll have a few questions asked here, but the boys produced. An absolute class team as Germany showed themselves to be earlier in the week, to see them struggling and hacking balls clear, and arguing with each other, to see the disappointment in their faces because they knew we had out-battled them in the second half. This is as good as it gets."

Quinn is grinning, reaching across the barriers to shake hands, making arrangements to talk to so and so tomorrow, such and such the next day. Staunton is in a different gear. Still hardened pro, jousting with the media.

"We knew last week we had a poor first half against Cameroon, but after watching the whole game it wasn't that bad. We had a spell where they kept it better than us. In the second half you've seen the performance and you've seen it from the off here tonight. They got a goal which we're slightly disappointed with, but these things happen and we've bounced back again.

"They had to push their players back because we put them under severe pressure. They tried to break out against us when we'd over-commit, but we brought balance to the game. They had a few half-chances, but I think we had the better of the chances.

"There was never a time when I doubted. Quinny caused havoc, they didn't know what to do, Robbie and Duffer were lively. We're always confident. You lot are the doubters."

They complement each other. Figuratively and literally. To the younger players they are icons but friends. Gary Kelly and Robbie Keane harmonise on a country number called I Thought You Walked On Water and direct it at Big Niall with appropriate lyrics attached. Staunton will always be nearby with some side-of-the-mouth one-liners. Yesterday Niall said he was made up for Stan and Stan said that Quinny done brilliant and the two old codgers had good things to say about all the younger folk, too.

"Mick asked me to make sure the two lads (Duff and Keane) stayed up and we had a right good go," said Big Niall. "He wanted bodies around and in fairness to Robbie he had a right good chance before that. He reads things fabulously. It was pure instinct the way Robbie read that header of mine. The only thing I've ever said to him is that I try and head balls inside. In a situation like that, he's just got onto it, in the 92nd minute in a night that's meant to drain you. He's an absolute gem. The lads are mad about him anyway, but after that he's an absolute star. He had every right to be shattered at the end. And Duffer? Absolutely fabulous. As the old stager looking on I'm absolutely chuffed for all of them."

"It's fantastic," said Stan, "but no more than what we deserved. We came here, we're trying to win games, but we haven't got beat which is a bonus. We've played well doing it and the lads are full of spirit."

And that was it.

Closing comments before they went off for their horlicks and digestives. Niall first.

"Mick said to me what he said to me last February when I was going to quit. He said I might need you, even just for 10 or 20 minutes. It might be one flick, but I'll need it. It sounds like scraps to be feeding on for me, but I've trained as hard as I could. I might not play any more part in the competition but I've enjoyed the bit I did have."

And Stan, could you have asked for a better ending?

"Aw, we could have won it, you know."

Themselves to the end.