Northern Ireland maintained an unbeaten start in League B of the Nations League after playing out a goalless draw against Hungary at Windsor Park. Manager Michael O’Neill described the result as positive as his youthful side sits joint-top with Ukraine after two matches.
Windsor Park Stalemate and Defensive Battle
–>
Both defences largely nullified opposing threats, keeping Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai quiet throughout the match.
Chances were hard to come by as the two well-matched sides fought for control. Patrick Kelly came closest for the hosts in the first half when he struck the crossbar, while Isaac Price had a strong shot beaten away by Hungarian goalkeeper Balazs Toth.
We played a very good side, I thought we were more than a match for the opposition. It’s another clean sheet for us, which is positive, but we just couldn’t find maybe enough to create that clear-cut chance that we’d win the game.
Michael O’Neill, Manager
Frustration Over Simulation and Bookings
–>
While the defensive solidity pleased the coaching staff, Michael O’Neill expressed clear frustration with the stop-start nature of the match and the behaviour of some visiting players. Spanish referee Ricardo de Burgos issued yellow cards to Ethan Galbraith, captain Shea Charles, Jamie Donley, and Isaac Price.
The Northern Ireland manager took issue with what he perceived as play-acting from the opposition during the competitive fixture. In the lead-up to Patrick Kelly’s crossbar strike, Shea Charles also had a penalty appeal waved away following an incident similar to one where Dan Ballard controversially conceded a penalty against Georgia.
Recovery and the Journey to Slovakia
–>
The physical toll of the international window was apparent by the final whistle. Following a 5,000-mile round trip from Georgia for their opening fixture, Michael O’Neill noted that he saw two tired teams
on the pitch by the end of the evening, admitting that Hungary grew stronger as the match wore down.
With four points from their opening two matches, Northern Ireland now shares the joint-top spot in League B alongside Ukraine. Pierce Charles was largely untroubled in goal for Queens Park Rangers, needing to make only one routine save in the closing stages from Alex Toth following a lethargic clearance.
