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| Kyle Lafferty celebrating his last-gasp leveller against Hungary |
KYLE LAFFERTY was a late hero for Northern Ireland last night when scoring the equaliser against Hungary to edge them closer to a first major finals since 1986.
Michael O’Neill’s side came into last night’s match knowing victory would secure their place in Euro 2016.
But an error from goalkeeper Michael McGovern in the 74th minute gifted Richard Guzmics the opener and what looked to be the winning goal.
And things soon went from bad to worse for Northern Ireland when Chris Baird was sent off with eight minutes remaining, having committed two fouls within seconds – the referee playing advantage for both.
But Lafferty’s seventh strike of the campaign – a close-range blast following up Niall McGinn’s effort in stoppage time – ensured a point.
With Romania drawing against Greece, O’Neill’s side remain top of Group F - though Lafferty will miss the potentially decisive clash with Greece next month having picked up a second booking.
The game started at a frenetic pace, with Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis haring into a thunderous tackle just a minute into proceedings and a scattering of rushed passes hurting the flow.
Hungarian dangerman Balazs Dzsudzsak took an early chance to run at the home defence but screwed wide as the green shirts sat off him.
Chris Brunt completed a scrappy dribble of his own moments later, shaking off three separate challenges to set up a break on the right.
Hungary cleared the cross but only as far as Oliver Norwood, whose quick reactions sent the ball back into the box and earned a corner.
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| Richard Guzmics putting Hungary in front against Northern Ireland |
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| Lafferty scoring his late winner to keep Euro 2016 qualification hopes on track |
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| Michael O'Neill and his Northern Ireland side are edging closer to qualifying for France 2016 |
A rare counter in the 32nd minute saw Kristian Nemeth denied by an alert Michael McGovern in the home goal, but the insurance policy of an offside flag had already appeared.
The half ended with Northern Ireland surging again, though Norwood took a heavy touch in the area to scupper their best crafted move.
The second half was five minutes old when Lafferty had a sniff of goal. Gareth McAuley nodded a free-kick into his team-mate’s path but Lafferty’s outstretched boot failed to make meaningful contact.
Michael O’Neill sacrificed Evans’ defensive qualities in the 56th minute, McGinn summoned from the bench having scored as a substitute when the sides met in Budapest.
It was an aggressive move but already the tempo had started to dip, with tired legs evident in both line-ups.
Zsolt Kalmar was a notable exception, gaining in effectiveness as the game continued. He provided Zoltan Gera with a sight of goal in the 67th minute but a drilled effort raced wide.
O’Neill said: “It was nerve wracking to say the least. We dominated the game first half but Hungary came into it. It was a mistake for the goal and a red card but then we saw true grit.
“It’s a massive point for us. At 1-0 down our head-to-head with Hungary was still better as we scored two in Budapest so we couldn’t go too gung-ho. It wasn’t vintage, but it was pure theatre. I’ve never seen a player booked twice in one incident and I don’t agree with it.”
Lafferty said: “We have two games left and we need one more push. The fans came here for a party but the champagne is on ice.
“The squad are willing to fight to the end. This team doesn’t know when to stop working. My yellow card was stupid, I was too eager. It was the right decision, my own stupidity.”
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