‘Sense of relief’ for O’Neill as North seal play-off spot despite defeat

NO-ONE should underestimate Northern Ireland’s achievement in securing a play-off spot despite this defeat, settled by Chris Brunt’s own-goal.

There are plenty who thought it might be a downward spiral after Euro 2016 but success in France merely sharpened the focus and strengthened belief.

This is a very modest bunch of players, but their collective spirit supplemented by a very clear, cohesive framework.

Everyone knows their roles, everyone buys into Michael O’Neill’s plan and they have become a disciplined, diligent defensive unit capable of hurting opposition on the counter-attack and not least from set-pieces, which are a potent weapon.

The fans have played their part, too. Windsor Park has become something of a cauldron – the 3-1 defeat to Germany last Thursday was the first there in a competitive fixture for four years – and on the road they travel in droves.

That much was evident last night when the green and white army accounted for almost half the crowd at a sparse Ullevaal Stadium.

The party had started an hour before kick-off as news filtered through of Scotland’s result and Northern Ireland’s faithful gleefully exhausted their song book.

O’Neill (left) admitted there was a “sense of relief” in the dressingroom that a play-off spot had been secured without a ball being kicked, and while no-one in the away camp was going to complain about that, it did serve to take the sting of the game.

O’Neill is not worried that his