NI’s missed chance a step ‘in the right direction’

Wherever Northern Ireland supporters found themselves in western Europe over the past week they have sung what has become a familiar refrain.

From airports, train carriages and town squares then, ultimately, at the Stade de Luxembourg and RheinEnergieStadion for their side’s World Cup qualifying double-header, the green and white army have told all who care to listen that they’re on their way to the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Indeed, so vociferous were supporters in the build-up to Thursday’s 3-1 defeat by Germany that manager Michael O’Neill was asked by German media if he shared his supporters’ conviction.

Whether this side can be the one to bridge what would be a 40-year gap between appearances at the sport’s global showpiece next summer remains to be seen, however the players’ response to their loss in Cologne said much about their direction of travel over the past two years regardless.

As the squad trudged towards their bus after a game in which they were level until the 69th minute, words like disappointed, frustrated and gutted were used to describe the failure to get a result against opposition who were clearly edgy after defeat by Slovakia three days prior.

The manager seemingly felt the loss as keenly as any.

“There’s a lot of things for us to be positive about, but it’s hard to see that in the [moment] because I think the overriding emotion is disappointment,” said the former Stoke City boss.

Northern Ireland were without Dan Ballard, Pierce Charles and Brodie Spencer in addition to further squad players for the pair of qualifiers that also saw them beat Luxembourg 3-1.

As what is an already inexperienced squad were forced to play without key individuals, O’Neill likened his selections to “asking boys at times to do a man’s job”.

Just two of Northern Ireland’s starting outfield players in Cologne were over the age of 26, while only one, defender Paddy McNair, had more than 31 caps.

For all but the San Diego FC defender, holding on for a draw would have represented the biggest result of their international careers.

In the recent past, when this Northern Ireland group has stepped up to play what O’Neill terms a footballing “heavyweight”, the results have been chastening.

After taking an early lead in a friendly against Spain in June 2024, they were blown away by the side who were then six weeks away from winning the European Championships.

Similarly, against Sweden in March, they were pulled from pillar to post by Alexander Isak. Both games finished 5-1.

Thursday night, therefore, was a wholly different game, one displaying the “resilience” O’Neill had called for before the game.

“You don’t usually come off the pitch against Germany having this feeling,” said McNair who likened the loss to the 2019 defeat by the Netherlands when the side conceded three goals in the final 10 minutes to lose 3-1.

“I feel like they were there for the taking to get something from the game.

“It’s just gutting. That was a good chance and we just let it slip a bit. When you look at the bigger picture, it’s definitely moving in the right direction.”

The immediate appreciation that this was a missed opportunity, one featuring two avoidable goals in a display when Germany’s attack was otherwise blunted for over an hour, felt a sign of progress too.

“We’ve come a long way as a group. A couple of years ago we’d have been, not happy, but not disappointed with that result,” said midfielder Shea Charles.

“The fact that we are disappointed and annoyed at losing that game I think is really good to see.

Given results elsewhere, Northern Ireland’s prospects in Pool A feel as if they have lessened over the past week despite what O’Neill described as a “good trip”.

If they are to go on and get results in October home games against Slovakia and Germany, the belief and confidence spoken of by the manager after Cologne will be imperative.

“I said at the start of the trip, if we go home with three points, we’ll have a good trip, if we go home with more than that, we’ll have a great trip, and the thing is, we probably felt we were on the verge of going home after a great trip,” he said.

“I think we know that we can compete and that’s the most important thing.