On a night touted to be a chance for Northern Ireland to put any frustration from their earlier defeat to Portugal to bed, they went down 3-2 away to Luxembourg – arguably the darkest hour for Northern Irish Football.
The game started well with Martin Paterson scoring after 14 minutes with a left footed shot at the near post. Luxembourg then drew level with the last touch of the first half through a deflected shot from Aurelien Joachim.
After the break, the match continued in end to end fashion, partly due to poor defending on the part of both sides. Stefano Bensi and then West Brom defender Gareth McAuley traded goals, bringing the score to 2-2 and leaving a tense final 8 minutes.
However, it was Mathias Janisch who had the final say, pouncing on a loose ball around the 6 yard box three minutes from time to give Luxembourg an unlikely victory.
Written by Cameron Strutt – @Stanchion90
