Jonathan Walters is keeping his fingers crossed that his Euro 2016 adventure has not been ended by injury after limping out of the Republic of Ireland’s opener with Sweden.

The 32-year-old Stoke striker spent the week before the showdown with the Swedes at the Stade de France battling an Achilles problem and although he was fit enough to start, he revealed after the 1-1 draw that he had been in pain from the first minute.

He now faces an anxious wait to learn the extent of the damage with Ireland back in action against Belgium in just five days’ time.

Walters said: “It was sore after the first minute. I was trying to run and jump and get through it to see if it settled down, but it didn’t really. It was still sore.

“I tried to do my part in the second half and made a few runs in behind. If I was 100 per cent, I would have easily got on the end of a couple.

“It’s nowhere near as sore as it was when I did it just over a week ago. It was always going to be sore. The last couple of days I haven’t felt it, but if I didn’t feel it in the game, I would have afterwards anyway.

“I think the right thing was to come off and let’s see how it settles down the next couple of days.”

Manager Martin O’Neill admitted after the game that Walters’ fitness was a genuine worry.

He said: “We’ll have to see, we’ll check him in the morning again. He’s being checked now as I speak, but it would be a concern for us.”

The injury compounded O’Neill’s disappointment on a night when victory slipped from Ireland’s grasp as Ciaran Clark’s own goal 19 minutes from time cancelled out Wes Hoolahan’s 48th-minute opener.

However, the 64-year-old was delighted with large parts of the performance and told Clark he should not dwell on his misfortune.

O’Neill said: “I think he should look at his own overall performance and be particularly pleased with it.

“I’m immensely proud of the team. I thought we played really, really well in the game. I’m naturally disappointed – and so are the players in there – that instead of having three points, we have got one on the board, so we’ll have to try to do something about it in the next two games.”