Northern Eire’s Euro 2024 qualifying distress continued as they fell to a 1-0 defeat to Kazakhstan after the lengthy journey to Astana.
It was a fifth consecutive defeat on this marketing campaign, and the fourth time within the final 5 Michael O’Neill’s injury-ravaged facet have been unable to muster a aim.
Kazakhstan put the primary nail within the coffin of Northern Eire’s qualifying hopes with their smash-and-grab 1-0 win in Belfast in June, and added one other right here with Maxim Samorodov’s Twenty seventh-minute strike sufficient to take three factors.
Northern Eire can solely envy the progress of a facet ranked 40 locations under them, with this Kazakhstan’s fourth win in Group H, retaining them within the thick of the qualification battle.
O’Neill has greater than sufficient capital – each inside the dressing room and past it – to keep away from coming underneath stress, however this shedding run and the harm disaster which has contributed to it have gotten an actual check of Northern Eire’s resolve.
The qualifying marketing campaign has gone so flawed the Inexperienced and White Military may even be wanting ahead to subsequent 12 months’s Nations League – a contest which has hardly ever warmed Northern Irish hearts.
This was one other match the place little separated the perimeters – with Northern Eire having extra of the ball and extra photographs – however O’Neill’s males didn’t get the rub of the inexperienced on the Astana Enviornment’s synthetic floor.
O’Neill promised changes to make his facet extra compact after Thursday’s 4-2 loss to Slovenia however as they tightened up Kazakhstan have been in a position to frustrate the guests, with nothing like the identical attacking vigour seen towards Slovenia on present.
George Saville’s bold second-minute strike was as shut as Northern Eire acquired to aim within the opening half-hour as Conor McMenamin, the star of the present on Thursday, discovered Besiktas left-back Nuraly Alip a way more tough buyer than Slovenia’s Erik Janza.
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Kazakhstan appeared the extra threatening, with Baktiyor Zainutdinov hitting a low drive narrowly vast earlier than Trai Hume was required to make a powerful block to maintain out Yerkin Tapalov’s shot.
However moments later the hosts led as Samorodov skipped away from the returning Dan Ballard, creating house to arrow a shot into the underside nook of the online from 20 yards out, prompting a protracted inquiry between Saville and Jonny Evans.
Kazakhstan threatened once more. Bailey Peacock-Farrell failed to assemble a excessive ball underneath stress from Abzal Beysebekov earlier than Paddy McNair cleared the hazard, then Ballard made a significant block to stop Samorodov going clear by means of.
Having survived the hazard, Northern Eire contrived to overlook the very best likelihood of the evening earlier than half-time.
Conor Washington flicked the ball completely into the trail of Matty Kennedy however the Kilmarnock man struggled to get it out of his toes, rolling a tame cross-shot past goalkeeper Igor Shatskiy.
McMenamin got here racing in to attempt to prod residence, however goalscorer Samorodov beat him to the ball earlier than Alip hooked it away, leaving Northern Eire scratching their heads.
O’Neill despatched on Jordan Thompson and Paul Smyth to interchange McMenamin and Saville on the break, and Northern Eire quickly threatened once more with Shatskiy doing properly to disclaim Washington as he acquired a flick on Shea Charles’s shot.
Jordan Jones changed Kennedy and Northern Eire started to construct stress after the hour. Charles gained a foot race to win the ball within the nook of the field and teed up Washington, however his shot was charged down.
Northern Eire saved Kazakhstan pegged again for a lot of the closing 20 minutes, however as has been the case too many instances, the clear likelihood they wanted to equalise proved elusive.