Republic of Ireland interim manager Noel King has said that his team can bow out of World Cup qualifying with their heads held high following the 3-0 defeat to Germany.

Goals from Sami Khedira, Andre Schurrle and Mesut Ozil proved sufficient in dispatching the Irish, as Joachim Low's men booked their ticket to Brazil next summer.

In contrast, the Boys in Green are mathematically guaranteed to be absent from the showpiece in June but, despite the scoreline which lead to their exit, King is adamant that his players can take heart from their performance.

"Overall, in terms of application I think the boys tried very, very hard," he told RTE Sport "They put their whole effort into the game."

"I'm sick about losing, and I am sick over the scoreline, but those boys have really tried hard tonight for Ireland and they can be very proud of themselves."

Republic of Ireland will conclude their campaign by hosting Kazakhstan in Dublin on Tuesday.