Saturday 5 September 2015 11:28, UK
Northern Ireland are closing in on a place at Euro 2016 after Gareth McAuley scored twice to help secure a crucial 3-1 win over the Faroe Islands.
The match was finely poised at 1-1 in the second half but the hosts then had goalscorer Joan Edmundsson sent off for a second bookable offence, before McAuley and Kyle Lafferty struck to win it for the visitors.
Northern Ireland now find themselves top of the Group F standings and are four points clear of third-placed Hungary, whom they entertain in a massive match on Monday night – live on Sky Sports.
Victory in that encounter would send Northern Ireland through to their first European Championship and their first major tournament since the 1986 World Cup.
Wary of an improved Faroe Islands side, Northern Ireland were full of intent at the start of the night in Torshavn and bossed the early stages.
And they took a 12th-minute lead when Oliver Norwood sent over a fine free-kick from the right and McAuley out-muscled his marker before stooping to guide his header into the net.
The visitors then squandered a decent chance to make it 2-0, Niall McGinn shooting wide after a Norwood corner had fallen nicely for him.
But the Faroe Islands grew in confidence after that and enjoyed a spell of pressure which culminated in a deserved 36th-minute equaliser.
The goal was a consequence of sloppy defending by Northern Ireland, Stuart Dallas flicking the ball around rather than clearing following a long throw-in, allowing Sonni Nattestad to sneak in and pull the ball back to Edmundsson, who stabbed it home at the near post.
Suitably chastened, Northern Ireland responded but Lafferty headed over from close range when he was picked out by McGinn just before the break.
The visitors continued to press after the interval but McGinn shot wide and Lafferty had a volley blocked.
However, the hosts then made life very tough for themselves as Edmundsson, who had been needlessly booked in the first half, repeated the feat, losing the ball and then lunging in very late on Norwood as he tried to retrieve the situation, leaving the referee with little choice but to show him a second yellow card.
And Northern Ireland were back in front seven minutes later, Brunt sending a delightful free-kick into the six-yard area from close to the by-line on the right and McAuley (71) again wanting it most, lunging bravely in to glance the ball into the net.
Four minutes later, the points were all but safe, sub Josh Magennis doing brilliantly to cut a ball into the near post region from the by-line before Lafferty managed to rifle the ball home on the turn, after a prolonged tussle for possession with Nattestad.
That was a sixth goal of the qualifying stages for the Norwich forward and the visitors almost bagged their fourth of the night in the closing stages but Gunnar Nielsen produced a fantastic save to push a Magennis drive onto the post.
