‘Terrific’ Bradley will be big loss in Germany tie

World Cup qualifying: Northern Ireland v Germany

Venue: Windsor Park, Belfast Date: Monday, 13 October Time: 19:45 BST

Given the effort across the board in Northern Ireland’s 2-0 win over Slovakia in World Cup qualifying on Friday evening, manager Michael O’Neill was understandably loath to single out any individual for too much praise.

Goalscorer Trai Hume, however, had no such qualms.

“Conor Bradley was the best player on the pitch by a mile, in my opinion,” said the Sunderland defender whose first international strike sealed the three crucial points late on.

Midfielder Shea Charles was equally effusive, describing his team-mate’s performance as “unbelievable”.

Having made his Northern Ireland debut while still shy of his 18th birthday, Liverpool defender Bradley was already winning his 28th cap and his third as captain in the victory that keeps his country targeting a place at next summer’s tournament in North America.

The 22-year-old was again talismanic as he starred both in and out of possession, driving at the Slovakian defence with the ball at his feet while also leading the charge when it came to the press.

After suffering an injury in pre-season and missing the first three games of Liverpool’s Premier League campaign, it had been a disjointed start to 2025-26 for Bradley.

Indeed, the Merseyside derby – during which he had an entertaining head-to-head with Everton’s Jack Grealish – is the only game in which he has played more than 45 minutes for his club this season.

There were no signs of any lack of game time against Slovakia, however, as he set the tone from the start in a Northern Ireland display brimming with energy.

“When he plays in a Northern Ireland shirt he knows he plays really on the front foot,” said O’Neill, while also describing the performance as “terrific” and “outstanding.”

With Charles another to shine in midfield, it was Bradley’s link with Swansea City’s Ethan Galbraith that proved the dominant theme of the first half.

Now, the side face the prospect of taking on the group favourites without their best player.

Bradley, who has also been booked three times in five Premier League appearances this term, was shown his second yellow card of the qualifying campaign in the 76th minute for a tackle on Lukas Haraslin.

O’Neill described the decision as “extremely disappointing” and felt his player had tried to pull out of the challenge.

“There were worse tackles in the game and one just before that was particularly poor on Isaac Price that the referee let go,” he said. “To produce a yellow card for that was disappointing.”

Speaking on BBC Sport NI, former Northern Ireland and Leeds United defender Stuart Dallas said Bradley had given “the referee a decision to make” but agreed with his old international boss that the decision ultimately was harsh.

If not for the resulting suspension, it would have been a mere footnote in an otherwise excellent performance.

Bradley was one of four players in the starting XI who went into the game knowing a booking would rule them out of Monday’s game, but Hume said they do not wish to curb his aggressive edge.

“We spoke before the game about the boys who were on yellows trying not to get one, but it’s one of those things,” he explained.

“You can’t go into a game trying not to get booked. You’ve got to play to your strengths.

“He’s full throttle. He’s 100% all the time.”

Since making his full Premier League debut in January 2024, Bradley has started 15 of his country’s 17 games, missing only the friendlies against Sweden and Switzerland in March.

Quite how to compensate for his loss gives O’Neill yet another thing to consider as he plots how to pull off what would be the biggest result of his second spell in charge.

While there is no like-for-like replacement in the squad, Oxford United’s Brodie Spencer figures to fill the void at right wing-back against the four-time World Cup winners.

“You’ve seen Brodie play left wing-back, right wing-back, he’s even played in a back three. We know how strong and athletic he is,” added Hume.

“Obviously Conor is going to be a big miss, but we’re a big group, we’re a strong team and we’re all together.