Five things we learned

Right from the first whistle, when five white shirts pushed on to pressure the Swiss from kick-off, it was obvious the visitors would go down fighting if this was to be the end of the road. In driving rain, on a bog of a pitch, there was mud, sweat and tears. Injury doubt Stuart Dallas, who arrived in Basel two days earlier on crutches, was the epitome of that Northern Ireland spirit with a terrific display. Michael O’Neill had told his players to have no regrets before this tie and, across 90 minutes on Swiss soil, he could not have asked for anything more.

Hailing Northern Ireland’s character should not detract from their quality. Facing a side featuring six players that play for Champions League or Europa League clubs, it was the visitors, with six players from Championship clubs, who looked the more technically adept. Millwall midfielder George Saville (below) was instrumental, as was captain Steven Davis, and Jamie Ward, Conor Washington and Dallas all produced brilliant moments of skill. The counter-attacking move where Washington headed wide after excellent work from Saville and Ward was the best move of the match.

The celebrations at Switzerland’s qualification were unlikely to be restricted to the Swiss themselves. Those deciding who should be the next manager of Scotland and the United States, as well as at Sunderland and Rangers, should be ecstatic that a boss of O’Neill’s calibre could now be prised away. Some Swiss players believed Northern Ireland were actually better than Portugal were when they defeated Switzerland last month — a reflection of how well drilled O’Neill’s men are.