Northern Ireland stands one game from history following a disciplined defensive display at Windsor Park.
Hungary piled pressure on Northern Ireland by winning in Georgia earlier on Saturday, and Michael O’Neill’s squad responded to set up a decisive showdown to top the group on Tuesday.
“We were aware that Hungary had won the game earlier and we’re in a great position,” O’Neill said.
“It would be great to win the group. It will be a tough, tough game but this is a brilliant game for us. It’s a great arena to play in,” O'Neill said.
- Squad depth faces a test ahead of Tuesday’s fixture following recent player suspensions.
- Securing Nations League A status impacts long-term tournament seeding and competitive market valuations.
Having kept five clean sheets in as many matches, O’Neill is targeting completing the campaign without conceding. Achieving this feat guarantees promotion alongside securing a play-off for Euro 2028 as insurance if their qualifying group proves difficult.
“For a nation of our size, with our players at this stage of their careers, to have a chance to win the group and also to be playing Nations League A is a big achievement,” O’Neill said.
“I think we would probably be one of the smaller nations to play at Nations League A level since the start of the competition,” O'Neill said.
Suspensions from the latest fixture do little to dampen an encouraging night in Belfast. Attention now turns entirely to the final group match.
“We want to try to achieve that and we have a chance to do that on Tuesday night,” O’Neill said.
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