"The moment Trai Hume's lofted effort made its way into the unguarded net, Windsor Park erupted. It was a wave of unbridled joy, with a hint of relief, as a wall of noise made its way around south Belfast. The goal by Hume, who grew up playing at Windsor Park for Linfield before making the leap to Sunderland, secured a 2-0 win and a huge three points as Northern Ireland look to reach a first World Cup in 40 years."
"Now, against the odds, they are joint-top of Group A on six points after three matches, tied with Germany and Slovakia. "We discussed before about is this the best [performance] since Michael O'Neill returned?" said BBC Sport NI pundit David Healy, who is Northern Ireland's record men's goalscorer. "You may even question, was it the best full 90 minutes since Michael has been in charge 99 times? "That was the level of performance tonight. Overall, tonight, 2-0 certainly flattered Slovakia."
"That sentiment was echoed by 1982 World Cup hero Gerry Armstrong, who said it was "as good a performance I have seen in the last 10-15 years here". "They look like they have so much more experience from the tender years because they are playing like a team with confidence and belief in each other and that's what I love about them," Armstrong added."
Northern Ireland secured a 2-0 win over Slovakia at Windsor Park through a Patrik Hrosovsky own goal and a late Trai Hume strike, lifting them joint-top of Group A with Germany and Slovakia on six points. The victory preserved realistic hopes of automatic World Cup qualification for the first time in 40 years and followed a win in Luxembourg and a strong hour against Germany. Pundits praised the young squad's confidence, passion and level of performance, with comparisons to some of the best displays under manager Michael O'Neill. O'Neill commended the team's evolution and strong start to qualifying.
Read at www.bbc.com
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