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German attacker Thomas Muller claims that "play-acting" and a "weak referee" played a part in the world champions' shock Euro 2016 qualifying defeat against Republic of Ireland. Germany missed a chance to seal their place in next summer's tournament as Shane Long's 70th-minute strike saw the home team win Thursday's Group D clash 1-0 in Dublin. Muller squandered a glorious opportunity to equalise when he fired wide from inside the box late on, meaning two teams from Germany, Poland and the Republic of Ireland can all still qualify automatically on Sunday. The Germans still lead the group but they require at least a point from their final match at home to Georgia to ensure they book their place at Euro 2016. Ireland boss Martin O'Neill joked that his side should be handed the trophy after picking up four points from six against the 2014 World Cup winners. In contrast, infuriated Germany manager Joachim Low complained that the Irish had scored from their "100th long ball," while Muller also gave little credit to the victors. "Ireland only defended and played long balls," the Bayern attacker told reporters. "We had decent chances and gave nothing away. "In the end we wasted too many chances and conceded an unnecessary goal after a mistake, coupled with a lot of play-acting and a week referee. "Even if it sounds stupid, we didn't play badly." Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan praised the home team for their passionate defending, while Bayern centre back Jerome Boateng said it was "galling" to be leaving without having scored a goal despite creating several good openings. Meanwhile, Dortmund centre back Mats Hummels accepted responsibility for Long's goal, admitting that he was poorly positioned for the ball over the top from Irish goalkeeper Darren Randolph. "I wasn't the only one but I got there too late," he said. "I should have been two steps further back."
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