Cliff Notes – LIVE: Northern Ireland take on Slovakia in WCQ
- Northern Ireland aims to secure crucial points in their World Cup qualifying campaign against Slovakia at Windsor Park.
- Michael O’Neill’s side is under pressure to perform, having faced challenges in previous matches.
- Fans are optimistic as the team looks to leverage home advantage in this pivotal encounter.
LIVE: Northern Ireland take on Slovakia in WCQ
Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland host Slovakia at Windsor Park in World Cup qualifying action. ESPN follows the action.
Northern Ireland win
Trai Hume’s first international goal sealed Northern Ireland’s 2-0 win over Slovakia in a crucial World Cup qualifier at Windsor Park.
With the visitors having won both their opening games in Pool A, Michael O’Neill’s side could ill afford to lose any more ground before Germany’s visit to Belfast on Monday, and they duly joined Slovakia on six points after a goal in each half.
An own goal from Patrik Hrosovsky opened the scoring after 18 minutes before Sunderland defender Hume netted with nine minutes remaining from a fine looping strike.
Northern Ireland started brightly but genuine chances had been limited before a neat exchange of passes between Conor Bradley and Ethan Galbraith sent the Swansea City midfielder charging towards the byeline, with a squared ball deflected into his own net by Hrosovsky.
What’s next for the these teams?
Northern Ireland: Michael O’Neill’s side are back in Belfast on Monday night (19:45 BST) as they welcome four-time World Cup winners Germany to Windsor Park.
After last month’s reverse in Cologne, Northern Ireland have lost their past 10 meetings against their next opponents.
Conor Bradley will miss the game after picking up a booking against Slovakia.
Slovakia: Kicking off at the same time on Monday night, Slovakia return home for a first time since their surprise victory over Germany when they host Luxembourg in Trnava.