John O'Shea celebrated his 100th appearance for the Republic of Ireland last night with a dramatic equaliser to further dent Germany's Euro 2016 qualification campaign.

The 33-year-old nipped in ahead of Mats Hummels with seconds of the stoppage time remaining at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen to secure a Group D draw with just his third goal for Ireland.

Within seconds, the final whistle sounded and was greeted by boos and whistles from the locals among a crowd of 51,204, who had seen their side dominate for long periods but fail to kill off their opponents.

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos looked to have fired the home side to victory when he smashed home a 71st-minute shot off the foot of the post. But the visitors refused to succumb, even after substitute Wes Hoolahan had himself been denied an 86th-minute equaliser by full-back Erik Durm.

However, the script could hardly have been any more fitting as Sunderland defender O'Shea turned up in the right place at the right time to maintain Ireland's unbeaten start to their pool campaign.

That they were still in the game at that point was due in large part to the efforts of goalkeeper David Forde, who produced a string of second-half saves, and some typically stubborn defending from O'Shea and his colleagues.

Despite his unlikely role as match hero, O'Shea was quick to point out the role his team-mates played in their performance, saying: "The manager [Martin O'Neill] put me forward with a couple of minutes to go and thankfully I was able to stick it away.

"But it was a big credit to the lads in front of me tonight. It was very determined and very dogged. It was a big, big performance.

"When they got that goal it was a big blow, because we're looking towards the end of the game to maybe catch them a little bit, and they got that first goal with maybe 20 minutes to go, so we had to come out a little bit more.

"But the manager said to us at half-time that even if we did go a goal down then we will have chances and we will have time to play. It was a special night and thankfully I was able to play my part."

O'Shea also confessed the goal will stay with him for a long time to come and plans to pass his shirt on to his parents so they can share in his success.

The Sunderland defender said: "I think we might have to find a frame for it [my shirt]. I think this one could be heading for the mantelpiece at my mam and dad's house."

Republic manager O'Neill applauded the response his players showed to going behind against the World Cup holders. He said: "It was a terrific game for us. We were backs to the wall in the first half.

"We had formulated a plan that we would try and thwart them as much as we can while at the same time, when we had the ball ourselves, try and manoeuvre it. We were unable to do that for periods in the first half, we seemed to be under pressure. We got through that time in the game, but it was a wee bit of a similar pattern in the second half when they scored. That changed the mindset. Even if we concede two, three, four I don't care, as long as we try and get something from the game. Our spirit carried us through."

On O'Shea's contribution, the manager added: "You couldn't have written that script for him. He's got a 100 caps now and that's no mean feat."

Germany ran out determined to atone for their 2-0 defeat in Poland at the weekend - their first in 34 qualifiers - but they endured a frustrating evening once again, despite dominating possession.

Joachim Loew's men have taken just four of the nine points they have contested to date, while Ireland's haul now stands at an impressive seven.

As a result, they will head into next month's visit to Scotland brimming with confidence and with their hopes of qualification very much alive.