Northern Ireland vs Slovenia. International Match.
Windsor Park.
Tuesday 29 March 2016 00:07, UK
Northern Ireland stepped up their preparations for Euro 2016 with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Slovenia at Windsor Park on Monday.
Having made his debut in Thursday's 1-1 draw in Wales, Conor Washington marked his home debut with a first international goal on 41 minutes to set the hosts on their way to victory.
Michael O'Neill's side were made to work for the win by an industrious Slovenian outfit who spurned their best chance of levelling the game when Roy Carroll saved Milivoje's Novakovic's 66th-minute penalty.
But the hosts were rarely tested and they saw out the game to extend their unbeaten run to 10 international games, eclipsing the nine-match streak Billy Bingham's team managed when they reached the 1986 World Cup.
Washington endured a frustrating 45 minutes on debut against Wales when paired with Kyle Lafferty, and it was Jamie Ward who was selected alongside him in the 3-5-2 system that Northern Ireland had deployed in Cardiff.
Ward was one of four changes to the XI, with Washington's old Peterborough colleague Michael Smith making his debut at right wing-back while Shane Ferguson fulfilled the wide role on the opposite side.
The latter was pinned back a couple of times early on by marauding full-back Nejc Skubic, who should have done better with a shot he curled wide after Gareth McAuley had cleared his original cross straight back to him.
As he had been in Cardiff, there was little evidence of any international quality from Washington, but that all changed just before the half-hour mark when he gave the first indication he belongs at this level.
Collecting a poked pass from Oliver Norwood, Washington wrong-footed Miral Samaradzic and only Oblak's legs prevented him from making it 1-0.
However, four minutes before half-time, the former non-league footballer would not be denied. From a long ball, Washington bounced off Samaradzic and then barged Skubic off the ball before shifting inside the vastly-experienced Slovenia captain Bostjan Cesar and drilling beyond a static Oblak.
Washington was quickly endearing himself to the Belfast crowd when he jumped to Ward's defence after a handful of Slovenian players took umbrage with a challenge on Oblak in the air.
Smith, who was himself impressing in one of the final auditions before O'Neill names his squad, nearly found Washington again with a cross from the right before Ward was withdrawn to allow Lafferty to join the goalscorer in attack.
Yet all eyes were soon on the goal at the other end when Jonny Evans was adjudged to have fouled Samardzic when a corner came in from the right.
Substitute Novakovic took on the responsibility of taking the spot-kick and went to Carroll's right, with the veteran wily enough to guess that way and keep the ball out.
He was called upon before the end too, pushing out an attempt from Valter Birsa that would have crept into the far corner, as Northern Ireland kept the momentum rolling ahead of the summer.
