At the other end, 19-year-old goalkeeper Pierce Charles enjoyed a quiet night on his debut, with he and midfielder Shea becoming the 23rd set of brothers to play for Northern Ireland or Ireland. Northern Ireland were initially slow to settle, and there was an early warning when Belarus played a short corner and Evgeni Shikavka got free of his man only to head wide. But from then on the first half was pretty much all Northern Ireland, their performance having everything but a goal as they had 12 attempts in the opening 45 minutes, forcing seven saves. In the 15th minute, Paddy McNair was unmarked as he met George Saville’s free-kick but sent his header wide. But the impetus was gone as Northern Ireland had to settle for a point ahead of Tuesday’s match at home to Bulgaria.

Source: The Herald October 12, 2024 20:58 UTC