Michael O’Neill praised the attitude of Conor Bradley after the Liverpool man put in another star performance in Northern Ireland’s 2-0 Nations League win over Luxembourg.
Paddy McNair and Daniel Ballard got the goals inside the opening 17 minutes, but it was Bradley who provided the most constant threat down the right-hand side.
The Liverpool man won the free-kick from which Ballard doubled Northern Ireland’s lead and created more chances for Northern Ireland to add to their lead which they were unable to take.
Thank you for your support tonight GAWA 👏🏼 💚🤍 pic.twitter.com/T8ddY4ydh1
— Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) September 5, 2024
Bradley’s performances in a Northern Ireland shirt have put him in the spotlight at a young age, but it is something he seems to savour.
“He’s just turned 21, he’s a terrific player, and the attributes are there for everyone to see,” O’Neill said. “Conor will go to a very, very high level in the game. It’s game time that he needs and he’s at a club where that’s not easy to get.
“But when he comes here he embraces it.”
Jonny Evans’ international retirement adds to the loss of the experience of Steven Davis and Stuart Dallas in the last year, but Northern Ireland now have a young, hungry team and momentum after wins over Denmark and Scotland in the last 10 months.
The win over Luxembourg also brings something new in that they have, for the first time, enjoyed a positive start to a Nations League campaign, with this only their second win in 17 in the competition.
“I think we have momentum and confidence is growing,” O’Neill added. “A lot of these lads came into international football and didn’t win many games at the outset, but now they have that winning feeling.
“Especially (at Windsor Park), it is always nice to come back and play here. You see what it means to them in the dressing room.
“I said to them that many of them will have long international careers so it is nice to win. There are always periods where you play for Northern Ireland during difficult times and you don’t win. The best players have always had to do that.
“So it is nice they are winning international games so early in their careers.”
McNair’s opener came from a long throw from Ciaron Brown. Ballard fought for the flick on and the ball fell for McNair to fire in from close to the penalty spot.
The second was a well-worked free-kick, with George Saville playing a low ball to the near post where Ballard flicked it in.
“We had good control of the game and capitalised on set pieces,” O’Neill added. “We spent a good hour plus this morning with the players and in the analysis room. It is something we need to improve on and I think we did that tonight.
“A good night’s work.” 👏
The boss reacts to tonight’s win 💚 #GAWA pic.twitter.com/yJssWPSFee
— Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) September 5, 2024
“The delivery was very good and how we attacked the ball was good.
“I felt in the second half we allowed the tempo to drop a little bit, which is natural. We still had a threat and never looked like conceding.
“We maybe looked a bit leggy in the second half which is natural because some of the players haven’t played many minutes…
“We did have other chances we probably should have scored more, but a clean sheet and two goals is pleasing. You have got to be happy with that.
“It is important to get a win in the opening game. The other game was a draw so it gives us something. If we get a result in Bulgaria then it will put us in a decent position.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Big GabrielSporting 1-5 Arsenal Who will win this month's Manager of the Month award? What happens when you come up against Saliba and Gabriel... Wayne Rooney, a true legend on and off the pitch. Cristiano Ronaldo in the iconic white and gold jersey brings back so many unforgettable memories! Throwback to THIS Beautiful Moment when Lionel Messi scored his 50th ca...
Bellingham admits 'vibrations' were key to Liverpool snubJude Bellingham has revealed how close he came to joining Liverpool, and the "vibrations" he felt when Real Madrid came calling."It wasn't as close as it was said," Bellingham said ahead of Real's Champions League clash with Liverpool. "There were conversations. There was Dortmund and I did it with several clubs. When Real Madrid call you, t...
Manchester City's Champions League match on Tuesday night was marred by crowd trouble, with Feyenoord fans causing chaos at the Etihad Stadium. The Dutch supporters, escorted by police from the city centre to the stadium, filled all three tiers of the South Stand.After City scored three goals, Feyenoord managed to net one with about 15 minutes left, leading to riot police stepping in to prevent cl...
Liverpool boss Arne Slot insists Mohamed Salah isn't unsettled over his contract situation.After scoring twice in victory at Southampton on Sunday, Salah revealed he had not heard from management about a new deal. His current contract expires in June."The only thing I can say is, if I look at my line-ups, Mo is more in than out," said Slot."I don't think he's distracted at all. I haven't seen that...
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany said he doesn't fully understand how the new Champions League format worked after his team earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday to improve their chances of reaching the knockout stage.Bayern needed a first-half goal from defender Kim Min-Jae to battle past 10-man PSG and claim a third win in five matches."I don't look at the table...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. The reason why Man City lost 5 matches in a row Erling Haaland lol Cucuruku Cook that thing… This The Man United cycle. This Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, originaltrollfootball, FootballLaughss, PL__OOC)...
The Portuguese has promised to not sign any Sporting CP stars in the winter window.However, all bets are off in the summer, with A Bola stating that Geovany Quenda is the main target.United are said to be preparing an offer of £50M plus bonuses to secure the young winger.Amorim can use Quenda in either wing-back position, while he is also capable of playing in the front three.Another player U...
The Algerian's contract expires in the summer of 2026 and he is believed to be eyeing a move away from Molineux.Rayan Ait-Nouri is wanted by Man UtdThat has put United are on red alert for a player as Amorim has made signing a left-back a priority.He wants to boost his options give Luke Shaw's injury record.Shaw could also eventually move into the back-three once the former Sporting Lisbon manager...
Mohamed Salah has said he is yet to receive a formal contract offer from Liverpool, adding that he is "more out than in" regarding whether he will stay at the club next season.Salah, whose contract is set to expire next summer, has enjoyed an impressive individual campaign, having scored 12 goals in all competitions this term, including a brace in Liverpool's 3-2 comeback win over Southampton on S...
Real Madrid monitoring Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite🚨👀 #Branthwaite is attracting the attention of 🇪🇺 top clubs.📃 #RealMadrid included the CB in their list of potential January targets, while 🏴 teams continue to monitor him ahead of June.💰 #Everton would like to keep him but are also open to evaluating bids >€70m. 🐓⚽ pic.twitter.com/5lpoomMdyp— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) Novem...
- 1 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 2 Chelsea make Nkunku sale call amid ManUtd interest
- 3 Ex-Prem ace asked Liverpool star for his sister's phone number
- 4 €60-70m could bring star to Liverpool or Man Utd
- 5 Mascherano nears Miami; Martino exits
- 6 Chloe Kelly sends fans wild in daring outfit at GQ Men of the Year
- 7 Former Premier League star saved his wife and baby from house fire
- 8 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 9 The secret and very normal jobs of England’s WAGs
- 10 Thierry Henry poses with rarely-seen partner Andrea on red carpet