Michael O'Neill has done a remarkable job to get his side to the finals and the question now is whether he can conjure the sort of miracle the eluded him when he guided Shamrock Rovers to the group stages of the Europa League a few seasons back. Northern Ireland capitalised on Greece's implosion to take top spot in Group F by a point and scored five more goals than either of their closest rivals along the way. A few of those goals came late on with Kyle Lafferty grabbing important ones both at home and away to Hungary - the latter yielding the side's best result of the campaign, a 2-1 victory in Budapest. The step up in quality here is somewhat daunting, however, and it remains to be seen whether the likes of Gareth McAuley, Jonny Evans and Steven Davis can do enough against the Germans and Poles to enable less able team mates to get by. Whether Lafferty and Niall McGinn can really continue to generate goals, though, is the biggest doubt of all and qualification as a third placed side would be heroic stuff.
With distinction. Northern Ireland topped Group F, which was admittedly the easiest of the lot, but few fans would have expected such a safe and assured passage to France. O’Neill’s side started as they meant to go on with two late goals giving them a win over Hungary, followed by a regulation win over the Faroe Islands in Belfast and then a 2-0 win away at Greece. They were beaten 2-0 away by Romania before a win over Finland, a draw with Romania and another win over the Faroe Islands left them on the brink. A 3-1 win over Greece at Windsor Park sealed the deal and started the party to end all parties in Belfast.
Given the playing pool and resources at his disposal Michael O'Neill's masterminding of a successful qualification campaign is nothing short of remarkable, especially considering Northern Ireland finished top of their group. Euro 2016 will be Northern Ireland's first major tournament since the 1986 World Cup, ending a barren run not dissimilar to Wales. But unlike the Welsh, O'Neill hasn't got the likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey to call upon making qualification all the more impressive. On the announcement of a new contract taking him through to 2020 the Irish FA Jim Shaw said O'Neill had made dreams a reality.
A divisive character but an incisive one in front of goal, Lafferty’s spell at Palermo which saw him score roughly one goal in every three games - before being sold for being, “an out-of-control womaniser” - sums up his career quite neatly. However, he has been a vital weapon for Northern Ireland, scoring 16 in 48 appearances, seven of which inspired them to this summer’s championships. His goals will be key to Irish hopes.
After having his Manchester United career ended by Louis van Gaal, Jonny Evans has found a new lease of life at West Bromwich Albion where he takes on the role of the senior statesman. And it is the same for Northern Ireland - he is yet to reach the 50 cap mark, but is the only player in the squad who has experience of playing consistently at the top level, particularly in Europe. Along with his centrehalf partner for the Baggies, Gareth McAuley, he can offer the solidity Northern Ireland need to have a chance against the likes of Germany.
Goalkeepers: Roy Carroll (Notts County), Alan Mannus (St Johnstone), Michael McGovern (Hamilton).
Defenders: Chris Baird (Derby County), Craig Cathcart (Watford), Jonny Evans (West Brom), Lee Hodson (MK Dons), Aaron Hughes (Melbourne City), Gareth McAuley (West Brom), Luke McCullough (Doncaster), Conor McLaughlin (Fleetwood), Paddy McNair (Manchester United).
Midfielders: Stuart Dallas (Leeds), Steven Davis (Southampton), Corry Evans (Blackburn), Shane Ferguson (Millwall), Josh Magennis (Kilmarnock), Niall McGinn (Aberdeen), Oliver Norwood (Reading), Jamie Ward (Nottingham Forest).
Forwards: Will Grigg (Wigan), Kyle Lafferty (Birmingham), Conor Washington (QPR).
What President Trump says...
“I love the Northern Irish. Remember that time I sent the scuba diver into the lake to get Rory McIlroy’s 3-iron? You can’t say Trump doesn’t care about Northern Irish millionaires.”
