Manager Michael O’Neill expressed that had Northern Ireland secured a victory over Germany at Windsor Park during Monday’s World Cup qualifiers, they would have positioned themselves strongly to accomplish something extraordinary.
However, the match ended differently, with Nick Woltemade’s somewhat lucky goal proving decisive in Belfast.
Reflecting on a campaign that also saw his youthful squad triumph 2-0 against Slovakia on Friday, O’Neill is likely to feel optimistic about their ongoing chances to reach football’s premier tournament for the first time in 40 years.
For the second occasion within just over a month, Northern Ireland’s players departed the pitch against the four-time World Cup champions convinced they could have earned a positive result.
In their previous encounter in Cologne, the visitors held firm until after the 70th minute, when rapid goals from Nadiem Amiri and Florian Wirtz secured a somewhat unconvincing 3-1 win for Germany.
On Monday in Belfast, Northern Ireland ended the match on the front foot, dominating the final 25 minutes mostly in Germany’s defensive third, yet they were unable to find the equalizer.
While this outcome diminishes any realistic hopes of topping Group A, the team’s strong performances combined with victories in their other fixtures provide genuine confidence that they can qualify for-and perform well in-the play-offs.
A draw in the upcoming pivotal clash in Slovakia, followed by a victory over Luxembourg-assuming, as O’Neill noted, “Germany handle their home game against Slovakia” on the final matchday-would secure second place.
Should that scenario not unfold, there remains a probable alternative route into the play-offs via a group winner from last year’s Nations League who has not otherwise qualified, though this could mean facing a tougher opponent away in the semi-finals.
“We’ve built some momentum and achieved solid results,” said defender Paddy McNair, one of only two players in O’Neill’s squad who also featured for Northern Ireland at their last major tournament, Euro 2016.
“If I were an opponent, I wouldn’t want to meet us in the play-offs.
“Finishing first is now a tough ask, but we have to go to Slovakia and aim for three points; you never know what might happen heading into the final game.”
