Northern Ireland beat Ukraine 3-0 in Nations League, go top of Group B2

Mixed · 2Northern Ireland beat Ukraine 3-0 in a Nations League Group B2 match on Friday 2 October at the Stadion Antona Malatinskeho in Trnava, Slovakia. 1 2 Mixed · 2Oxford defender Ciaron Brown, 28, scored twice, his first international goals. The first came early, which the BBC puts at the ninth minute, after Ruairi McConville's knockdown from a Kieran Morrison corner. 1 2 Mixed · 2Isaac Price made it 2-0 in the 22nd minute, from a ball by 19-year-old Morrison, who was on his first competitive international start. It was Price's 11th international goal and his first in just over a year. 1 2

Mixed · 2Brown's second goal came just after the hour: he flicked on Pierce Charles's free-kick and Ukraine goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk let the bouncing ball through his legs. The BBC adds that McConville allowed the ball to trickle over the line when he could have touched it in himself. 1 2 Mixed · 2Manager Michael O'Neill's starting eleven had an average age of 22, the youngest for Northern Ireland since the Second World War. He made three changes from Monday's goalless draw with Hungary, bringing in Brodie Spencer, Terry Devlin and Morrison. 1 2 Right · 1Ukraine, who made 10 changes for a second straight match, had most of the possession but created few clear chances. Eduard Sarapii's strike was clawed away by Charles, and substitute Matvii Ponomarenko hit the outside of the post. 1

Mixed · 2Northern Ireland have seven points from three games since returning to League B, with four goals scored and none conceded. They are three points clear of Hungary and Ukraine, and the BBC says only Sweden and France had beaten Ukraine in the previous 12 months. 1 2 Centre · 1O'Neill praised the "overall performance" and said centre-backs McConville and Tom Atcheson had "no ceiling". He described Brown as the team's most senior player, who had "really grown" into that role in the absence of the injured Dan Ballard. 2 Mixed · 2Northern Ireland host Georgia, who have one point, at Windsor Park in Belfast on Monday. Topping the group would bring promotion to League A for the first time and a five-team group in Euro 2028 qualifying. 1 2

Mixed · 2It was the first competitive meeting with Ukraine since Northern Ireland's 2-0 win at Euro 2016, which the BBC calls the 'Kings of Lyon' success. O'Neill had played down comparisons with it beforehand. Arsenal teenager Ceadach O'Neill also came on as a late substitute for his fourth cap, which the Irish Independent says ends discussion of a possible switch to the Republic of Ireland. 1 2