Luxembourg defeat a new low for Northern Ireland
Last updated on .From the section Football
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You always know it's been a brilliant result, or a completely disastrous one, when you get a text saying your commentary has just been on the Chris Evans breakfast show on Radio 2.
Sadly, on this occasion, it was the latter - a humiliating 3-2 defeat away to Luxembourg. There is no disguising the fact - Tuesday's result was a huge embarrassment for Northern Ireland.
Surely we should be capable of beating a team ranked 48th out of the 53 teams in Europe?
Luxembourg had not won a qualifier at home since 1972 - a run of 43 matches - but they deserved their victory in the Stade Josy Barthel.
Northern Ireland beat Russia two games ago, and had gone toe-to-toe with Portugal at Windsor Park on Friday night.
But they were made to look very ordinary by Luxembourg and what a disappointing night it turned out to be for the 1200 NI fans who made the journey.
They will have gone home disappointed after watching a performance which, let's be honest, was pretty poor.
On the morning after, the stern look on the faces of manager Michael O'Neill, his assistant Billy McKinlay and goalkeeping coach Maik Taylor still said it all.
We were now at London Heathrow, but the management team could barely contain their anger and frustration at the events of the night before.
The players looked sheepish, keen for the sanctuary of home, and well aware of the embarrassment the result had brought.
O'Neill had handshakes for all of his squad and, no doubt, he was hoping those faces would be back to restore pride in the closing double-headers away to Azerbaijan and Israel. An opportunity to right a wrong.
One Northern Ireland supporter summed it up nicely when he said: "We're great at David versus Goliath matches, but not so good when it comes to David versus David."
Luxembourg's squad contained only four full-time professionals, the rest part-timers.
It is hard to get your head around this when you look at Northern Ireland's last two home performances.
However, in my heart of hearts, when people asked me before the game if I was feeling optimistic, I had to say no. That's because a performance like this is always going to happen.
Looking at Luxembourg's celebrations after the game, it almost looked like they had qualified for the World Cup finals. That is how much beating Northern Ireland - beating anybody actually - meant to them.
They had waited 41 years for a home win in a World Cup qualifier. Forty-one years - and it happens against us!
As their players were doing a lap of honour around the pitch, O'Neill's men were trudging back to their dressing room to reflect on a footballing disaster.
For Northern Ireland, this is a new low.
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The whole 'players leaving for the RoI' is a red herring- the fact is that the 11 players on the pitch in black shirts should have been well good enough to see of Luxembourg, and to ship 3 goals to such an outfit is disgraceful.
As a Scotland fan, I can absolutely sympathise with that
My friend, who knows and cares little about the politics, responded with a genuine question, which really amused me:
"So are you here on holiday then?
Says it all really.
:@
Except you need to read 119 again...
And its ilk.
Glasgow Stranger
Look at what happened to Neil Lennon when he played for NI!!! why would anyone risk putting their family through that to play for fans who literally be happy to see you buried.
We have no professional clubs, the standard of our league is poor, we've got no full-time youth academy's, the IFA are a joke and our best players go and play for the Republic. Unsurprising that we draw 1-1 at home to Luxembourg and Azerbaijan, then lose to Luxembourg away.
Two small countries on one isle which is really one country...makes sense to combine and be a force
Ironically they are just about to appoint a new headman who not that long ago cost them half a milion pound over the Howard Wells case. Mr Wells being the man brought in to reform a association that has been decribed as unfit for purpose.
Except there never has been nor will be there a 'country' !
:)
If you think there is, you either need to check an atlas or are the most deluded economist of all time!
Even Greece is more viable...
Re 118 are you suggesting these players are LESS mature at U18 than they were at U16?
Re 121 read the Trap post again fella, at no point do I even attempt to say we're better than Germany. Your ineptitude in grasping my point on that thread says a lot more about you than it does me and explains some of your theory's on this thread...
Silly billy...
"the ROI will come in and take them after we school them and further their football, as they will qualify for the ROI because they drank a pint of Guinness once"
Are you Michael O'Neill in disguise?
"The Republic keep nicking our players"
Boo Hoo
They choose who to play for big man we don't round them up in sherpa vans and drag them back over the border...grow up!