Speaking to RTE Sport about the win over Finland and what his thoughts were before making the penalty save which secured the win, Kelleher played down his heroics.
"Before he stepped up I looked at the run-up and went with my instincts and thankfully went the right way," Kelleher told RTE Sport.
"Maybe in the first half we rode our luck at times as well. Two off the post (for Finland) and good defending as well, some good blocks which you have to do at times. Thankfully we scored a great goal as well.
"Other than the penalty there weren't many chances in the second half so lots of positives to take from that."
The Liverpool star says the win is proof that Ireland are improving and that in previous years they would have collapsed and let go of the three points.
"As we have seen in the last few years we maybe would have drawn or lost (tonight) but it shows the group is getting tighter and stronger," Kelleher continued.
"We're managing games which is important and at the end of the day the result is the most important thing and clean sheets go a long way."