Northern Ireland boss Sammy McIlroy must be wishing his side's World Cup qualifying campaign was only just beginning after admitting last week that he could not wait for it to end.

McIlroy has now seen his side draw away to Denmark and destroy Iceland. They even have the prospect of finishing the group with double points and their final match next month is an away trip to Malta.

Northern Ireland won this Group Three qualifier in Belfast thanks to a great three-goal burst in 12 second-half minutes, which simply melted Iceland.

The Irish played their best football for several years as they outclassed an Iceland side which had easily beaten the Czech Republic only four days earlier.

David Healy bagged the first, Michael Hughes the second before George McCartney capped a composed debut by scoring the third.

It was Northern Ireland's first win in 12 months and their biggest competitive victory for six years.

The second half was a vast improvement on the first, to the relief of the disappointing 6,625 crowd inside Windsor Park.

The breakthrough came after Petur Marteinsson could only head Phil Mulryne's cross as far as Healy, who swivelled and fired home right-footed from the edge of the area.

In the 58th minute Hughes fed Gillespie on the right and then ran into the box where he converted his cross in off the near post for his fifth international goal.

Northern Ireland were not finished yet and two minutes later Horlock worked a short corner with Gillespie and the former Manchester United ace crossed for McCartney to head home a third and seal a great night for McIllroy.