Northern Ireland produced a solid display against Belarus to stay top of League C Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League.
Second half goals from Daniel Ballard and Dion Charles (penalty) earned Michael O’Neill’s team a deserved 2-0 victory in their penultimate C3 game.
Going into tonight’s match the Belarusians were unbeaten in their opening four fixtures in the group - and had conceded only one goal.
But following a first half in which they had to be patient, Northern Ireland turned the screw after the break and netted the goals that secured three points.
Bulgaria defeated Luxembourg in the other C3 fixture tonight, which means O’Neill’s team only need a point from their final group game in Luxembourg on Monday to win the group and earn promotion to League B for the next edition of the Nations League.
The starting line-up showed three changes from the team that started the 5-0 win over Bulgaria last month.
Defenders Ciaron Brown and Daniel Ballard came into the side along with attacking midfielder Paul Smyth. They replaced injured defenders Paddy McNair and Eoin Toal and forward Callum Marshall.
In front of 18,004 fans at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park, Northern Ireland started on the front foot, as the manager had promised in the run-up to the match.
The first clearcut chance for Northern Ireland came on 14 minutes. A loose pass from Belarus defender Kirill Pechenin went straight to captain Shea Charles inside the area and he slipped the ball to Dion Charles whose snapshot from 11 yards was pushed over the bar by Belarus keeper Fedor Lapoukhov.
Ballard blocked a shot from Belarus attacker Evgeni Shikavka before Shea Charles superbly whipped a free-kick inches past the post as Northern Ireland continued to press.
In the 27th minute Conor Bradley slipped past his marker and raced forward before firing a cross into the six-yard area, however the ball went through Dion Charles’ legs and Brodie Spencer just failed to connect with it at the back post.
Isaac Price curled an effort over the top and Spencer fired a cross into the side netting as the home side dominated possession.
A Shea Charles corner was met by Ciaron Brown at the back post. He headed the ball into a congested six-yard area where Belarus managed to clear it.
Bradley superbly jinked his way past several defenders inside the area, however he could not get a shot away.
Right at the start of the second half Spencer fired in a cross from the left flank which was met by Dion Charles, however he could only guide his header over the top.
Belarus captain Aleksandr Martynovich blasted the ball over the bar in a rare raid by the visitors.
Northern Ireland deservedly took the lead on 50 minutes. Shea Charles whipped in a corner and it was headed home from close range by a stooping Ballard.
Dion Charles was stopped in his tracks as he prepared to pull the trigger, however the striker made no mistake with his next opportunity.
On 59 minutes Shea Charles clipped in a free-kick which, following a VAR check, was adjudged to have been handled by Pechenin in the Belarus two-man wall. Dion Charles confidently stepped up and blasted the ball into the back of the net.
Belarus had a couple of efforts blocked before Isaac Price’s rasping shot drifted past the upright.
Substitute Jamie Reid linked well with Bradley before sending a shot wide of the target.
On 86 minutes defender Ruairi McConville made his senior debut from the bench as Northern Ireland soaked up some late pressure from the visitors.
Pierce Charles, who was rarely troubled, did well to clutch a dangerous cross into the area.
Deep into added time substitute George Saville jinked his way into the area and unleashed a powerful shot which Lapoukhov managed to push past the post. It was so close to being the midfielder’s first goal for his country.
Going into the final game in the group, O’Neill’s side have 10 points from five games and Bulgaria have eight points. Belarus are third on six points, with Luxembourg propping up the C3 table with two.
Northern Ireland: Pierce Charles, Conor Bradley, Brodie Spencer, Trai Hume, Daniel Ballard, Ciaron Brown, Brodie Spencer, Alistair McCann, Dion Charles, Shea Charles (captain), Isaac Price.
Substitutes: (used) George Saville, Josh Magennis, Jamie Reid, Ruairi McConville, Brad Lyons; (unused) Bailey Peacock-Farrell (GK), Luke Southwood (GK), Kofi Balmer, Ethan Galbraith, Callum Marshall, Jordan Thompson, Lee Bonis.
Belarus: Fedor Lapoukhov, Vadim Pigas, Kirill Pechenin, Pavel Zabelin, Aleksandr Martynovich (captain), Sergei Politevich, Valeri Gromyko, Aleksandr Selyava, Evgeni Shikavka, Evgeni Yablonski, German Barkovski.
Substitutes: (used) Vladislav Klimovich, Dmitri Antilevski, Max Ebong, Nikita Demchenko, Dmitri Prischepa; (unused) Maksim Plotnikov (GK), Pavel Pavlyuchenko (GK), Denis Polyakov, Sergei Karpovich, Yegor Parkhomenko, Yuri Kovalev, Zakhar Volkov.
Action from the NFS
