Northern Ireland 1-0 Luxembourg: NI go into qualifiers ‘with a lot of optimism’ – Michael O’Neill

In a team that was already missing key players such as the Charles brothers, Shea and Pierce, and the suspended Daniel Ballard, the youngsters had the chance to shine in the final qualifying match, which was stretched thin after Friday’s defeat to Slovakia.

As they were at risk of suspension, Trae Hume and Justin Deveney were given the evening off, and talisman Connor Bradley was withdrawn at half-time.

Jimmy Donnelly will hit the headlines after his first international goal, but there has been a strong start for Jimmy McDonnell, while Ruairi McConville once again led the defence, and teenager Patrick Kelly made his first-team debut.

“Obviously we’ve had to make a lot of changes to the squad. If you look at the players we used tonight, five of them are under 21, so I think that’s a really positive thing for us,” O’Neill said.

“Luxembourg is a good team. The results this season were maybe a little tough on them, and they performed well.

“They haven’t been beaten easily in any of the games, so we benefit a lot from the fact that we beat them 3-1 away and 1-0 at home. The clean sheets were positive, and a lot of good performances as well.”