Northern Ireland: Connor Bradley says his side ‘won’t fear anyone’ in 2026 World Cup play-off draw

Ultimately, Group A margins ended with Slovakia beating Germany at home while Northern Ireland lost twice to the four-time World Cup winners.

Indeed, although it does not matter much in terms of the final table, Northern Ireland were more convincing in their 2-0 win over Slovakia at Windsor Park last month than they were against their hosts in Kosice on Friday night.

After Tomas Bobcic’s winning goal in stoppage time, frustration appeared to escalate as words were exchanged between the two groups of players after the final whistle, while O’Neill said that rival coach Francesco Calzona did not shake his hand after the match.

“It was really disappointing,” Bradley said. “I think when we beat them in Belfast, I think we were a little bit better after the game.”

“They were kind of putting in more effort. It’s disappointing but I’m sure we’ll see them again.”

Midfielder Isaac Price also expressed his dissatisfaction with Slovakia’s reaction after the victory, which kept alive its hopes of qualifying not only to the play-offs but automatically at the expense of Germany for the tournament that will be held in North America next summer.

“I think some of their players had a lot to say, especially those who didn’t play,” the West Bromwich Albion player said. “I think if you’re playing in the game and you want to shine, that’s fine, but if you’re a third goalkeeper and you’re not playing, I think you should just keep quiet.

“They had a few words to say. They seemed very excited but that’s a compliment to us. I think they took that as a really big result and it’s a big result for them.”

“I think we were much better than them at home. They wanted revenge and they got it in the end.”