Northern Ireland couldn’t produce a efficiency to match the event as Michael O’Neill’s first dwelling sport again at Windsor Park resulted in a 1-0 defeat to Finland.
After Thursday’s 2-0 win over San Marino, this was a extra sobering night time towards stronger opposition, and a consequence which offers a major blow to hopes of reaching Euro 2024 even at this early stage of the marketing campaign.
Northern Ireland appeared off the tempo earlier than Benjamin Kallman fired Finland in entrance with 28 minutes gone, and though the hosts improved whereas chasing the sport, they may not discover an equaliser as Dion Charles had a 62nd-minute purpose dominated out for handball.
It was hardly the night time O’Neill would have been hoping for on his return to a floor the place so many recollections had been made throughout his first reign.
O’Neill made just one change as Jordan Thompson changed George Saville, with the supervisor asking youngsters Shea Charles and Conor Bradley to ship once more following their spectacular performances in Serravalle.
That labored insofar that Shea Charles was as soon as once more neat and tidy in his use of the ball on the base of midfield, whereas Bradley was the brightest spark going ahead, however there gave the impression to be a lethargy about Northern Ireland’s show.
They didn’t actually threaten something till the twenty first minute, with the prospect coming from what might have been a expensive mistake from captain Craig Cathcart.
Instead, the Watford defender recovered from a miscontrol to hook the ball away from Norwich striker Teemu Pukki and set Bradley away down the appropriate. The wing-back, on mortgage at Bolton from Liverpool, then reduce the ball again for club-mate Dion Charles, however Thursday’s goalscorer despatched his shot over.
But Northern Ireland had been permitting Finland an excessive amount of time on the ball when defending, and it proved expensive because the guests dampened the Windsor Park temper by taking the lead with their first actual sight of purpose simply earlier than the half-hour mark.
Robin Lod despatched in a low ball from the appropriate, Pukki touched it on, and Kallman beat Bailey Peacock-Farrell on the far publish.
Peacock-Farrell then saved nicely to maintain out Pukki’s close-range effort earlier than the flag went up as Dan Ballard blocked the follow-up.
Northern Ireland ended the half on high, however Conor Washington’s appeals for handball towards Nikolai Alho had been ignored after his shot was blocked within the field.
The greatest transfer got here within the forty fourth minute when Shea Charles despatched Bradley racing away and he rolled the ball by for Dion Charles, however Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky made himself large to maintain it out.
There was a blow just some minutes into the second half as Sunderland defender Ballard was compelled off with an damage, which means a change of form as Josh Magennis changed him and 3-5-2 turned 4-3-3.
Magennis was shortly into the motion, together with his backheel releasing Dion Charles just for the striker to overhit a cross in direction of Washington.
The Wigan striker then freed Jamal Lewis, and as his deep cross was headed again in by Paddy McNair, Magennis arrived however couldn’t preserve his shot beneath the crossbar.
Dion Charles had the ball within the internet within the 62nd minute, poking dwelling from a nook, however referee Ivan Kruzliak blew for handball.
That a minimum of energised the gang however the response from the staff was missing. Cathcart nearly performed himself into bother once more, recovering to dam Finland substitute Marcus Forss. Lod then despatched in a harmful free-kick which Peacock-Farrell parried earlier than Robert Ivanov fired over.
There had been late alternatives for Lewis and McNair, however neither might get their pictures on the right track as Northern Ireland mis-fired on O’Neill’s large night time.