Where it began … should Northern Ireland’s fanatical support, complete with recurring Sweet Caroline anthem, grace a second European Championship in succession, the nature of victory against Estonia in the opening qualifying fixture will not matter one bit. That does not make the win any less vital. Matches such as this can ruin a campaign before it is properly underway.
Northern Ireland fully merited three points from this Group C fixture but they had to scrap to secure them. For 55 minutes they huffed and puffed; thereafter came the kind of breakthrough that separates them from nations of similar size and resource.
“We know the significance of getting off to a good start,” Michael O’Neill said. “We set ourselves a target of six points from the first two games, so we are on track. The players aren’t celebrating or ecstatic. We know there are areas in which we can improve.”
The visit of Belarus to Windsor Park on Sunday should provide a sterner test. A curious fixture scenario sees O’Neill’s men face Estonia and Belarus before Germany and the Netherlands can be contemplated. Would 12 points from a possible 12 be too much to ask?
O’Neill’s forward options have hardly been helped by Kyle Lafferty’s failure to command a regular place at Rangers. Yet the manager turned again to Lafferty here, hoping no doubt he could recapture former glories; the 31-year-old was a key player when Northern Ireland reached Euro 2016.
Pertinent, too, was an excellent home record. The deployment of Niall McGinn and Jordan Jones – both orthodox wingers – on either side of Lafferty illustrated how O’Neill felt Estonia could be unpicked.
Northern Ireland’s positive opening would have been appropriately rewarded but for the kind of miss that will turn O’Neill’s hair even greyer than is already the case. Fine play on the left flank by Jones preceded a terrific cross to the head of Paddy McNair. From four yards out, and with the Estonia goalkeeper Sergei Lepmets stranded, McNair need only nod home.
Instead, in an incredible act of wastefulness, the Middlesbrough player headed into the turf and over the crossbar. O’Neill’s disbelief was apparent; he had to watch an instant replay of the episode as it appeared on Windsor Park’s big screen.
Jones was next to try to break the deadlock in a first half that Northern Ireland controlled. He fired narrowly wide on the turn six minutes before the interval.
Just when an element of frustration threatened to set in, the old guard played their part in a crucial goal. Steven Davis, like Lafferty consigned to a bit-part role at Rangers, swung in a cross which his club teammate did well to control. The tricky bit was still to come; Lafferty delivered it perfectly by holding off defenders before laying the ball back to McGinn. He made no mistake with a fierce first-time finish towards which Lepmets did not bother to move.
It was McGinn’s first Windsor Park goal in 11 years of playing for his country. The scale of celebration merely emphasised Northern Ireland’s relief; for Lafferty and Davis, once again, international football was proving a salvation.
Estonia had done nothing to suggest they could rouse themselves but a 72nd-minute opening caused sudden panic in the home defence. Henri Anier should have done better when sent clean through on Bailey Peacock-Farrell, though the Leeds goalkeeper is due credit for a smart save.
Northern Ireland heeded the warning. When seeking to collect a rebounded McGinn shot, George Saville was upended inside the penalty area. Davis took the spot-kick suitably low and hard to beat Lempets. That Belarus had tumbled to a 4-0 defeat in Rotterdam further boosted the mood; another Euros dream is alive and kicking.
