SM
Brighton vs. Man City: 3 hrs 32 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
BN
Euro Champ Qualifying | Group Stage
Jun 11, 2019 at 7.45pm UK
 
NI

0-1

 
FT(HT: 0-0)
McNair (86')

Michael O'Neill: 'Northern Ireland need to take a big scalp'

:Headline: Michael O'Neill: 'Northern Ireland need to take a big scalp': ID:361793: from db_amp
Paddy McNair's 85th-minute winner saw O'Neill's side beat Belarus 1-0 to move on to 12 points from their first four games.

Michael O'Neill has challenged his Northern Ireland players to "take a big scalp" after they gave themselves the perfect platform in Euro 2020 qualifying.

Paddy McNair's 85th-minute winner saw O'Neill's side beat Belarus 1-0 in Borisov on Tuesday to move on to 12 points from their first four games, the first time they have ever had such a strong start to a campaign.

For months Northern Ireland's players and staff have spoken about the target of getting 12 points from these games and – with that mission accomplished – they will no doubt enjoy their summers.

But O'Neill is already looking forward to September, when Northern Ireland host Germany at Windsor Park.

"We're underdogs playing two of the strongest countries in Europe, but we have given ourselves a chance," he said.

"What we have to do next, the next indication for this team, is to take a big scalp and we have the chance to do that, particularly in Belfast."

Things are certainly looking good for Northern Ireland's chances of reaching a second European Championship.

Holland may have two games in hand, but the yawning nine-point gap to Northern Ireland will put plenty of pressure on them ahead of their next qualifier, which is away to Germany days before Joachim Low's men come to Belfast.

"The important thing when the draw came out was to try and turn the group into a group of three and we have done that," O'Neill said.

"It creates pressure for the bigger nations. We're a tiny nation with a very limited pool of players, people don't realise that.

"We've accomplished a lot in this group, it's a relatively new team and our dream is to make it to Euro 2020.

"It's testament to the players, we have that belief.

"Something's changed in these players in the last four or five years.

"That may have been a game, going back, that we would have lost. We would have competed well for 70 minutes and then lost to a mistake.

"Instead we've gone the opposite way. These are games we believe we can win home or away and it's a nice characteristic to have in the squad."

amp_article__361793 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-06-12 10:14:06:
html db last update - 2021-02-21 03:16:16 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Michael O'Neill

Click here for more stories about Northern Ireland

Share this article now:
Read more about Michael O'Neill Football
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Liverpool34228475344174
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .