Petit touts Irish as potential Euro 2016 surprise package

French World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit believes Martin O’Neill’s Republic of Ireland could be a surprise package at Euro 2016.

Petit, who scored the third goal in the 1998 World Cup Final against Brazil as the hosts ran out 3-0 winners, is looking forward to seeing major tournament football return to his native land this summer.

The ex-Arsenal midfielder believes there will be upsets in the tournament, with some teams not necessarily strongly fancied possessing enough ability to cause shocks.

Petit says those shocks are most likely to come from nations with a good team spirit and a determination to fight as a unit on the field and that, he says, is something the Republic of Ireland has been known for.

“Individually, this team has quality. Not a lot of qualities, but if they play the way they used to with a great spirit just like Leicester for example, look at them,” Petit said.

“They play as a team and for me football is a team display. Most of the time you are well placed to see that but you always take one individual. With Barcelona it’s Messi, but it’s a team with team spirit. A lot of footballers are missing this point for me. Football is a team performance.”

Petit says the Republic will need to be at their best to come out of a group containing Belgium, Italy and Sweden but he feels they will get the chance to make their mark on the tournament if they work hard.

“The gap between the biggest countries is not that big any more so if Ireland play as a group and with fighting spirit and take their chance when it comes on the pitch, they can do something, yes,” added Petit.

“Surprises happen all the time in tournaments – World Cup, Europeans – you always have a surprise team.”

Ireland showed in qualifying that they know how to grind out a result against high-class opposition, O’Neill’s side having plundered four points from six against world champions Germany.

Ireland are 2.50 to qualify for the knockout stages at Euro 2016.