National Team: brilliant Smyth hands victory to Northern Ireland

It’s a sold-out Windsor Park that welcomes the national teams of Northern Ireland and San Marino on a cold afternoon in Belfast, marking the Titano side’s penultimate away trip in the EURO 2024 qualifying campaign. The hosts, after celebrating Evans’ 105 caps in green and white, threaten after 150" with Taylor’s turn, which sails just over. O’Neill’s men fly out of the blocks and that explosive start leads to the opening goal from Smyth with an overhead kick. Lazzari is late in the cover, and there is nothing Benedettini can do. After a brief VAR check, the Belgian officiating team upholds Van Driessche’s decision and the goal for the Belfast-born winger. The right winger, who plays for QPR, is on fire and on 11 minutes provides the assist for Magennis to make it 2-0. The striker, who also scored against the Titani in the 2018 World Cup qualifying cycle, shakes off Fabbri’s marking and tucks away Smyth’s low ball across the box. The forward proves potentially decisive even with his hands, launching a long, flat throw-in – effectively a cross – which Ballard directs goalwards, but without hitting the target. Windsor Park roars its team forward, as on 21 minutes when Hume collects the ball in the inside-right channel and, riding the tense and noisy anticipation of the GAWA, unleashes a right-footed effort that flies over the bar. Smyth’s inspired afternoon shines again on 31 minutes when he attacks the defensive line to meet Evans’ 60-metre pass first time, lifting the ball over Benedettini with a chip that would have made highlight reels on television screens around the world. But after a two-and-a-half minute silent check, VAR confirms the winger was marginally offside. The home crowd are denied another celebration by an offside, this time clear to the naked eye and flagged by De Neve, ruling out Taylor’s smart volleyed finish. The Titani look to Lazzari as their outlet on the break, struggling to find Nanni as a reference point up front. The Victor San Marino midfielder, after a muted start, grows into the game with a few driving runs on the ball that allow the Biancazzurri to relieve the pressure and push up into the attacking third. On the final ball of the first half, a risky intervention from Dante Rossi cuts out a potential third for Northern Ireland after Ballard’s knockdown from the first of two corners the hosts win before the interval. From the dressing rooms comes D'Addario on for Franciosi and an immediate vertical ball towards Nanni, just a touch too long to free the Olbia striker in front of Hazard. The Titani show up again on 56 minutes when Battistini wins the ball pressing Smyth and releases Nanni, who opts against the long-range shot to feed the onrushing D'Addario with a timid pass that the winger does well to turn into another attacking phase. From there comes San Marino’s first corner, which is cleared to Lazzari, whose right-footed effort fails to trouble the goalkeeper. On the counter, Magennis sends Taylor through one-on-one with Benedettini, but the Wycombe midfielder – on loan from Nottingham Forest – also misses the target. What happened on 64 minutes threatened to cause a real stir, when Washington – on the pitch for only a few seconds – is booked for a heavy late challenge on Lazzari’s ankle. The referee, called to the monitor for an on-field review by VAR, sticks with his original decision, initially giving the impression he was about to brandish a red card. On 68 minutes, everything is in order with Price’s surging central run, which forces Benedettini into a double save, the second particularly sharp to deny Washington’s header. On the break, Nanni does well to hold up the ball for Lazzari, who tries to thread a brilliant through pass for the run of the newly introduced Mularoni – only for the last man in the green-and-white backline to nip in and clear. Northern Ireland refuse to ease off, feeding off the energy of the substitutes. On 78 minutes Di Maio does well to beat Washington to the ball with an acrobatic clearance, and shortly afterwards Benedettini does superbly to get there before Washington, rushing out almost to the halfway line. The 3-0 goal arrives on 81 minutes from McMenamin, on the field for just two minutes. The midfielder is in the right place at the right time to turn in Benedettini’s miraculous save from Washington for his first ever goal for Northern Ireland. At the other end Dante Rossi goes close, rising above the defence to meet a Lazzari free-kick, but sending his header just over. From there to the final whistle, there is little else to report other than a biting cold driven by a persistent wind that ushers in the closing credits on the Windsor Park encounter, in which Price does not add his name to the scoresheet – his right-footed effort from close range flying over Benedettini’s crossbar.

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European Qualifiers 2023, Matchday 7 | Northern Ireland–San Marino 3-0   NORTHERN IRELAND Hazard; Hume, Ballard, Evans (from 62' Price), Lewis (from 79' Spencer); McNair, S. Charles, Thompson; Smyth (from 62' Marshall), Magennis (from 62' Washington), Taylor (from 79' McMenamin) Substitutes: Peacock-Farrell, Southwood, Saville, D. Charles, Kennedy, Lyons, Lane Coach: Michael O'Neill   SAN MARINO E. Benedettini; Ma. Battistini, Fabbri, Di Maio, Rossi, Franciosi (from 46' D'Addario); A. Golinucci, Capicchioni (from 76' Ceccaroli), Lazzari (from 88' Lunadei); Nanni, Vitaioli (from 60' Mularoni) Substitutes: Simoncini, S. Benedettini, Cevoli, E. Golinucci, F. Tomassini, Zafferani, Magi, Pancotti Coach: Fabrizio Costantini   Referee: Bram Van Driessche (BEL) Assistants: Yves De Neve (BEL) and Rien Vanyzere (BEL) Fourth official: Kevin Van Damme (BEL) VAR: Jan Boterberg (BEL) AVAR: Erik Lambrechts (BEL) Scorers: 5' Smyth, 11' Magennis, 81' McMenamin Booked: Lewis, Washington Note: 18,500 spectators

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