Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WHEN PUSH CAME TO SLOV
Baraclough’s boys fell just short..
NORTHERN Ireland’s Euro 2020 dream exhaled its final breath after a depressing result at the end of an even more dispiriting year.
Lockdowns, circuit breakers, wet pubs in a state of closure, a political farce at Stormont and now this. How much more can one take? A little over 1,000 fans got to see last night’s make-or-break shootout with Slovakia at Windsor Park with a place at next summer’s finals up for grabs.
But while a small corps of the Green and White Army marched on the national stadium in radiant hope, they trudged home in dreary despair.
Michal Duris’ winning strike in extra-time – after Milan Skriniar’s 87th-minute own goal had cancelled out Juraj Kucka’s opener for Slovakia to force an additional 30 minutes – saw to that. It was destined to be a night to forget in South Belfast as Northern Ireland, bidding to reach back-to-back Euros, fell agonisingly short of the promised land.
Sweet Caroline won’t be sung throatily on the streets of Dublin or in the bars of Bilbao’s old town next summer.
Albert Rusnak fizzed an early shot over the bar before Slovakia carved out a 17th-minute lead thanks to an unfortunate mistake from George Saville.
Attempting to retain possession, the Middlesbrough midfielder’s attempted header saw Jural Kucka latch onto the loose ball and race clear of Jonny Evans.
Bailey Peacock-farrell scampered off his line but the Parma midfielder kept a cool head to steer a low shot inside the Burnley keeper’s left hand post. The opening goal on such a stage was always going to be crucial and conceding it via a blunder felt like a hammer blow.
Niall Mcginn went close to a response in the opening period, Marek Rodak palming his looping cro ss ov er th e bar, b efore th e Aberdeen winger also blazed over before the break.
Josh Magennis also saw a close range header from a Paddy Mcnair corner cannon of f a S lovakian defender, the ball falling kindly for Rodak inside a crowded area.
Northern Ireland laid siege to the Slovakia goalmouth at the start of the second half and might have been level in the 53rd minute.
The lively Mcginn fed Conor Washington inside the area but the Charlton striker’s shot on the turn was arrowed straight at a thankful Rodak.
Ian Baraclough threw Gavin
Whyte, Jordan Thompson, Liam Boyce and Kyle Lafferty into the fray in search of an equaliser and it came with only three minutes left.
The tireless Paddy Mcnair linked with Whyte, raced inside the area and his low driven cross ended up in the net via a near post deflection off Inter Milan defender Skriniar.
Lafferty almost won it i n normal time after being teed up by Whyte but the Reggina striker’s low shot crashed off the outside of the post.
Slovakia won it in the second period of extra time thanks to Duris’ seventh international goal and it came with a healthy dose of good fortune.
An attempted pass deflected off Evans and fell into the path of the Nicosia striker who took a touch before drilling a low shot inside Peacock-farrell’s near post. What a bitter pill for Baraclough who had b e e n h o pi n g t o b e c o me o n ly the fourth manager to lead Northern Ireland out at a major tournament.
A painful moment too for Steven Davis who wore the armband at Euro 2016 and was poised to become the first player to captain the country at two separate finals.
The likes of Evans, Mcnair, Lafferty, Mcginn, Craig Cathcart, Stuart Dallas and Josh Magennis had all been targeting a second European Championship for their football CV.
Peacock-farrell , Jamal Lewis, Saville, Whyte and Boyce had also been hoping for their first taste of tournament football.
But all those hopes and dreams were dashed at 10.17pm as German referee Felix Brych blew time on Northern Ireland’s Euro journey.