Saturday 15 November 2014 14:13, UK
Northern Ireland have built a "great platform" for Euro 2016 qualification despite defeat in Romania, according to Gareth McAuley.
Michael O'Neill's side suffered their first Group F defeat in Bucharest on Friday night, going down to two late Paul Papp goals.
But three previous wins - including two away from Windsor Park in Hungary and Greece - mean the Irish are just a point behind leaders Romania after four games.
And McAuley told Sky Sports News HQ: "A lot of the lads in the dressing-room have been going away form home for years and not picked up anything.
"We've played probably three of the best teams in the group away from home so far and we've picked up nine points from our four games. When you look at the bigger picture it's a great achievement and still a great platform."
McAuley's team-mate Corry Evans was less upbeat, saying: "Everybody in the dressing room was absolutely gutted and exhausted. We gave our all but it just wasn't good enough against the best team in the group.
"Yes, they put us under a lot of pressure and we were forced on the back foot for large parts of the match, but I honestly believed we were going to hold out for draw and a great point.
"All the players are shattered. It's terrible when you put so much effort in and don't come away with anything. We're all very disappointed. It's very hard to take but that's football."
