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The Herald Scotland
15 hours ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Michael O'Neill: Northern Ireland feeling positive ahead of World Cup qualifiers
It was perhaps not the match O'Neill had envisaged going into the night as Northern Ireland spent the vast majority of the final half-an-hour defending following Spencer's dismissal, but the win felt more significant given it came in the face of adversity. Morning, GAWA 💚🤍 Thank you to all 18,021 of you that made it another special night under the lights 👏🏻 #GAWA — Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) June 11, 2025 O'Neill will take the positives from that as he turns attention to September's qualifiers away to Luxembourg and Germany. 'We approach it in a good place and we approach it with optimism,' O'Neill said of the qualifying campaign. 'I think there's a belief in there that, yes, we will be able to go and take points at this level. We look forward to it.' O'Neill's squad remains both young and in large parts inexperienced. Twelve of the 25-man squad for Tuesday's game were 21 or under, and more than half remain in single figures for the number of caps they have. Having been drawn alongside Germany, Slovakia and Luxembourg in Group A, Northern Ireland's realistic target is second place and a play-off spot, but O'Neill's optimism extends well beyond the next six games. 'I know the team will continue to progress beyond the World Cup campaign,' he said. 'It's just natural that the team will continue to progress. The more they play international football, the better they'll get at it. 'That's all they need – they need more and more exposure, they need more minutes under their belts. Will the world Cup campaign come too soon for this group? I don't know. The proof will be in the games.' As had been expected ahead of the fixture, Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Denmark in Copenhagen showed where Northern Ireland need to improve out of possession. Spencer's red card turned Tuesday's friendly into a similar exercise for much of the second half. When asked what his main takeaways from the week were, O'Neill said: 'I think we're going to go into games where we're going to come under a lot of pressure, teams that will come and press us. 'We have to be better than what we've shown in both Copenhagen and then here in terms of how we deal with that. But the other side of our team is our ability to play on the counter-attack, our ability to run without the ball, our desire in our shape and structure. 'We've a lot of things, when we look at the two games, where we'll find a lot of positives. But we're always looking for it to get better. This is still very early in the progression of this team.'
South Wales Guardian
21 hours ago
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
We can't ask any more in terms of character – Northern Ireland's Michael O'Neill
Isaac Price fired Northern Ireland in front in the 36th minute, but then had to make a goal-line clearance to deny Andri Gudjohnsen in the second half as O'Neill's side came under pressure following the sending-off of Brodie Spencer. That dismissal changed the game completely, but O'Neill was proud of the way his players responded as Northern Ireland won a match they finished with 10 men for the first time since their famous win over Spain in 1982. 'We didn't start the game well, we gave the ball away a lot,' O'Neill said. 'They pressed us and we didn't deal with that as well as we could… 'We struggled to get pressure on the ball, but really they didn't cause us any threat either. It's frustrating when you're at home that you're not having a bit more of a foothold and dominance. 'But we're going to have to play like that so I think this team, they've got a strong character and desire when things are going against them to stay in the game… 'There's a lot of things we can do better, but in terms of character, we can't ask any more. In terms of defending as a team and as a unit without the ball, I thought we were excellent.' Spencer was sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity after tangling with Iceland skipper Hakon Haraldsson as he tried to break into the box, a decision which infuriated the Northern Ireland players as they surrounded referee Morten Krogh, and frustrated O'Neill. Isaac Price's goal makes him the youngest player to score 9 goals for Northern Ireland at 21 years 257 days 👏 #GAWA Stat: @NIStats — Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) June 10, 2025 'I think it's a poor decision,' O'Neill said. 'The referee doesn't have a very good view of it. Brodie and the attacking player, it's more like their legs get tangled than anything else. 'Daniel (Ballard) is a covering defender as well. And the first touch of the Iceland player goes right through Pierce (Charles), he doesn't have the ball under control. 'But you see when the incident happens the referee (isn't close) so he was very, very quick to produce a red card given he doesn't have the benefit of VAR. I was disappointed with it because it obviously changes the game.' Northern Ireland hung on well. As well as Price's clearance off the line, Charles made a stoppage-time save to keep out Isak Johannesson's header. Price's goal was another quality finish from the 21-year-old West Brom forward – his ninth international goal. George Saville won a challenge to prod it to him and after a couple of touches he bent a shot into the bottom right-hand corner of the net. 📸🤩 #GAWA — Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) June 10, 2025 'I don't think there's too many players come in and play international football and adapt to it as quickly as Isaac has,' O'Neill said. 'He has that ability just to do something a little bit different, a little bit special. The goal is an example of that. 'But his biggest contribution to the team is off the ball and his running ability, his ability to press. 'When you've got that type of player who can score goals and has that level of technical ability, you're always concerned about their off-the-ball play, but for him, it's not a problem.'
North Wales Chronicle
a day ago
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
We can't ask any more in terms of character – Northern Ireland's Michael O'Neill
Isaac Price fired Northern Ireland in front in the 36th minute, but then had to make a goal-line clearance to deny Andri Gudjohnsen in the second half as O'Neill's side came under pressure following the sending-off of Brodie Spencer. That dismissal changed the game completely, but O'Neill was proud of the way his players responded as Northern Ireland won a match they finished with 10 men for the first time since their famous win over Spain in 1982. 'We didn't start the game well, we gave the ball away a lot,' O'Neill said. 'They pressed us and we didn't deal with that as well as we could… 'We struggled to get pressure on the ball, but really they didn't cause us any threat either. It's frustrating when you're at home that you're not having a bit more of a foothold and dominance. 'But we're going to have to play like that so I think this team, they've got a strong character and desire when things are going against them to stay in the game… 'There's a lot of things we can do better, but in terms of character, we can't ask any more. In terms of defending as a team and as a unit without the ball, I thought we were excellent.' Spencer was sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity after tangling with Iceland skipper Hakon Haraldsson as he tried to break into the box, a decision which infuriated the Northern Ireland players as they surrounded referee Morten Krogh, and frustrated O'Neill. Isaac Price's goal makes him the youngest player to score 9 goals for Northern Ireland at 21 years 257 days 👏 #GAWA Stat: @NIStats — Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) June 10, 2025 'I think it's a poor decision,' O'Neill said. 'The referee doesn't have a very good view of it. Brodie and the attacking player, it's more like their legs get tangled than anything else. 'Daniel (Ballard) is a covering defender as well. And the first touch of the Iceland player goes right through Pierce (Charles), he doesn't have the ball under control. 'But you see when the incident happens the referee (isn't close) so he was very, very quick to produce a red card given he doesn't have the benefit of VAR. I was disappointed with it because it obviously changes the game.' Northern Ireland hung on well. As well as Price's clearance off the line, Charles made a stoppage-time save to keep out Isak Johannesson's header. Price's goal was another quality finish from the 21-year-old West Brom forward – his ninth international goal. George Saville won a challenge to prod it to him and after a couple of touches he bent a shot into the bottom right-hand corner of the net. 📸🤩 #GAWA — Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) June 10, 2025 'I don't think there's too many players come in and play international football and adapt to it as quickly as Isaac has,' O'Neill said. 'He has that ability just to do something a little bit different, a little bit special. The goal is an example of that. 'But his biggest contribution to the team is off the ball and his running ability, his ability to press. 'When you've got that type of player who can score goals and has that level of technical ability, you're always concerned about their off-the-ball play, but for him, it's not a problem.'
North Wales Chronicle
a day ago
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Isaac Price earns 10-man Northern Ireland victory against Iceland
Price lit up a drab first half to put Northern Ireland ahead, but then had to head off his own line as it turned into a defensive scrap after Brodie Spencer was sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity when Hakon Haraldsson went over under a slight touch just before the hour. Michael O'Neill would have been hoping for a more straightforward night as he looks ahead to the autumn, but will take encouragement from the way his young side dealt with adversity to keep a clean sheet. GOALLL! What a finish from Isaac 👏🔥 #GAWA — Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) June 10, 2025 Before kick-off there was a presentation for the recently retired Steven Davis and Jonny Evans, two members of the Euro 2016 squad who each earned more than 100 caps for Northern Ireland. But there was nothing to recognise Peter McParland, despite this game taking place only two days after his funeral. McParland, who scored five goals for Northern Ireland at the 1958 World Cup, died last month aged 91. O'Neill made five changes to the side that started Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Copenhagen in Denmark, handing a long-awaited debut to Ronan Hale following his switch from the Republic of Ireland. He saw little of the ball in a tepid start to the match as neither side looked capable of creating anything. But in the 36th minute Northern Ireland took the lead out of nowhere and Price, who on Monday talked about how he has greater confidence following his move to West Brom in January, was the man to deliver his ninth international goal. George Saville beat Arnor Ingvi Traustason to the ball, caught by a heavy challenge as he did so, and referee Morten Krogh played advantage. The ball ran to Price, who took a couple of touches before bending a shot into the bottom-right corner of the net. Northern Ireland had finally woken up, and in first-half stoppage time Hale was inches away from a debut goal, cracking a shot off the crossbar after Trai Hume flicked on Justin Devenny's cross. Ethan Galbraith replaced Paul Smyth at the break and was a whisker wide of a first international goal in the 56th minute with a flicked header from Shea Charles' free-kick. Then Hale burst into the box and got beyond the despairing dive of Brentford goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson, but his low cross was beyond Price. The mood changed completely in the 57th minute. Spencer got into a foot race with Haraldsson, and the Iceland skipper went down theatrically under the slightest of touches. Krogh immediately produced a red card with Spencer the last man. Iceland turned up the pressure as Northern Ireland were forced to defend their box and temperatures were raised. Goalscorer Price turned into a defensive hero in the 67th minute, clearing Andri Gudjohnsen's header off the line, before Kristian Hlynsson sent a good chance narrowly wide. In stoppage time, goalkeeper Pierce Charles kept out a point-blank header from Isak Johannesson and Northern Ireland held on.
Rhyl Journal
a day ago
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
We can't ask any more in terms of character – Northern Ireland's Michael O'Neill
Isaac Price fired Northern Ireland in front in the 36th minute, but then had to make a goal-line clearance to deny Andri Gudjohnsen in the second half as O'Neill's side came under pressure following the sending-off of Brodie Spencer. That dismissal changed the game completely, but O'Neill was proud of the way his players responded as Northern Ireland won a match they finished with 10 men for the first time since their famous win over Spain in 1982. 'We didn't start the game well, we gave the ball away a lot,' O'Neill said. 'They pressed us and we didn't deal with that as well as we could… 'We struggled to get pressure on the ball, but really they didn't cause us any threat either. It's frustrating when you're at home that you're not having a bit more of a foothold and dominance. 'But we're going to have to play like that so I think this team, they've got a strong character and desire when things are going against them to stay in the game… 'There's a lot of things we can do better, but in terms of character, we can't ask any more. In terms of defending as a team and as a unit without the ball, I thought we were excellent.' Spencer was sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity after tangling with Iceland skipper Hakon Haraldsson as he tried to break into the box, a decision which infuriated the Northern Ireland players as they surrounded referee Morten Krogh, and frustrated O'Neill. Isaac Price's goal makes him the youngest player to score 9 goals for Northern Ireland at 21 years 257 days 👏 #GAWA Stat: @NIStats — Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) June 10, 2025 'I think it's a poor decision,' O'Neill said. 'The referee doesn't have a very good view of it. Brodie and the attacking player, it's more like their legs get tangled than anything else. 'Daniel (Ballard) is a covering defender as well. And the first touch of the Iceland player goes right through Pierce (Charles), he doesn't have the ball under control. 'But you see when the incident happens the referee (isn't close) so he was very, very quick to produce a red card given he doesn't have the benefit of VAR. I was disappointed with it because it obviously changes the game.' Northern Ireland hung on well. As well as Price's clearance off the line, Charles made a stoppage-time save to keep out Isak Johannesson's header. Price's goal was another quality finish from the 21-year-old West Brom forward – his ninth international goal. George Saville won a challenge to prod it to him and after a couple of touches he bent a shot into the bottom right-hand corner of the net. 📸🤩 #GAWA — Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) June 10, 2025 'I don't think there's too many players come in and play international football and adapt to it as quickly as Isaac has,' O'Neill said. 'He has that ability just to do something a little bit different, a little bit special. The goal is an example of that. 'But his biggest contribution to the team is off the ball and his running ability, his ability to press. 'When you've got that type of player who can score goals and has that level of technical ability, you're always concerned about their off-the-ball play, but for him, it's not a problem.'
