Michael O'Neill had spent the build-up to Northern Ireland's Nations League outing against Ukraine playing down memories of their famous win at Euro 2016. His focus was firmly on what was to come rather than reflect on the past. If a stunning 3-0 victory on Friday night was anything to go by, it's going to be a pretty exciting future indeed. His starting team had an average age of just 22, which was the youngest on record for Northern Ireland since World War Two. Oxford's Ciaron Brown, the only player over the age of 25 to start the game in Trnava, Slovakia, was in the right place to open the scoring in the ninth minute from Ruairi McConville's knockdown.
O'Neill handed a first start to 19-year-old Kieran Morrison, and his superb cross led to Isaac Price doubling the lead, before Brown's header evaded goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk in bizarre circumstances with 30 minutes left. While the victory may not be quite as memorable as the 2-0 'Kings of Lyon' success 10 years ago at the Euros, it was extremely impressive. To put it into context - and never mind the manner of the performance - only Sweden and France have beaten Ukraine in the past 12 months. Northern Ireland can now be added to that list. Brown's two goals were just reward for a player who has been quietly impressive for far longer than this campaign, and he was part of a back-five which stood out in what was a third consecutive clean sheet.
Michael O'Neill said both McConville and Tom Atcheson were "terrific" as he told BBC Sport: "They have no ceiling, to be honest." He was also delighted for Brown, who he said had "really grown" into a senior role in the absence of injured Sunderland defender Dan Ballard. The victory could seal promotion to League A for the first time and mean Northern Ireland will be in a five-team group for Euro 2028 qualification. Former international Stephen Craigan described it as potentially "a seismic night" for a young group, which was missing Ballard, Ethan Galbraith and Conor Bradley. All focus now is on recovery before the final game of the window on Monday.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing