Michael O’Neill disappointed as Northern Ireland let lead slip in Luxembourg

Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill admitted his disappointment at letting a two-goal lead slip in a 2-2 Nations League draw in Luxembourg but took the positives from his side earning promotion from League C.

Northern Ireland looked to be cruising and on their way to a first away win of this campaign after Conor Bradley’s header five minutes into the second half added to Isaac Price’s first-half strike at the Stade de Luxembourg.

But things unravelled in three chaotic minutes as Seid Korac poked in from Daniel Sinani’s free-kick before Gerson Rodrigues beat Pierce Charles with a fierce strike from outside the area.

Northern Ireland hung on for a point – as it turned out even a defeat would have seen them top Group 3 after Belarus came back to draw 1-1 with Bulgaria – and they will be back in the second tier the next time the Nations League comes around.

“I think when you’re 2-0 up in any game and you draw you’re always disappointed regardless of the (circumstance),” O’Neill said. “I thought we played very well in the game, we had a lot of control and we really probably should have put the game to bed.

“At 2-0 we had chances and we didn’t take them. To be fair to Luxembourg, they hung in, they scored off a set-piece and then got a good goal that we could have defended.

“From our point of view I think that shows the players how quickly a game can turn. At 2-0 I felt we needed to score again and the game turned off a set-piece and then a great strike from Rodrigues.

“After that we still had chances to win it so we’re a little bit disappointed but we’ve come here and played well. I thought some of our attacking play was terrific, we scored two very good goals and a point was enough for us to win the group.”

While the result did not ultimately matter in this Nations League campaign, it leaves Northern Ireland still with only one away win – against San Marino in O’Neill’s first game back in charge in March 2023 – in the last three years.

Changing that record ahead of next year’s World Cup qualifiers would have been a major bonus, but O’Neill insisted he was not too concerned.

“For me, it’s not an important marker,” he said. “That will come. I don’t think that’s a significant hurdle for us to think about. It’s probably a little bit of learning on how to protect a two-goal lead.

“I thought we protected it fine until those moments, and both goals come in the space of a couple of minutes. I suppose it just shows you the nature of international football and how it can change quickly.”

O’Neill’s starting XI had an average age of just over 22 – the youngest Northern Ireland side to start a game since World War II – after the manager made two changes from Friday’s 2-0 win over Belarus.

Ruairi McConville replaced the suspended Ciaron Brown in defence, while Ethan Galbraith made his first Northern Ireland start in midfield, some five years after making his debut as a substitute in a friendly against the same opposition.

The Leyton Orient midfielder more than justified the decision with one of the standout performances on the night.

“I thought he was brilliant,” O’Neill said. “Ethan is always one that we hoped would come through and play. He’s always been a player that has had that potential, technically excellent.

“I thought it was a great performance from him and I’m delighted because I think at Orient he’s rebuilding his career and I feel like he’s a player that going forward can contribute a lot to the team.”