World Cup 2022 Uefa qualifying Group C: Northern Ireland 1-0 Lithuania
AT a windy Windsor Park Northern Ireland threatened to blow Lithuania away but ended up huffing and puffing their way to victory.
Yet the fact that the only goal was netted by a Lithuanian defender, Benas Satkus, does not indicate fortune favouring the hosts, who were full value for the win, a first at home at last for manager Ian Baraclough.
Two more NI 'goals' were disallowed during a dominant first half and although the men in green were not as good after the break they still controlled the game.
The second win in the group takes NI back up into third, above Bulgaria on goal difference, and that's how it's likely to stay.
European champions Italy will come to Belfast needing a win on Monday night to be certain of topping the group after a 1-1 home draw with Switzerland, who host the Bulgarians in the final round of fixtures.
It was rather amazing that the only goal came courtesy of an error from visiting centre half Satkus, but the home side performed positively, putting in a much better performance than the scoreline suggests, albeit against the side ranked 135th in the world.
Apart from that one legitimate goal the match was memorable for 17-year-old Dale Taylor making his senior debut, with huge roars greeting the introduction of the Tiger's Bay teenager for the last quarter hour.
The starting side was very experienced, following four changes from the team which lost out in Bulgaria, with Jonny Evans back at the heart of the defence, Stuart Dallas at right wing-back, and Ali McCann and George Saville in midfield.
The formation was definitely a 3-5-2 rather than a 5-3-2, with the wing-backs pushing high from the outset against opponents with only one group win to their name, at home to Bulgaria last month, and six defeats.
The hosts had registered just five goals from their six previous qualifiers, four of those away to Lithuania, but were up from this from the start. Josh Magennis was heavily involved in early attacks, and the Charlton forward flicked a header just wide when Shane Ferguson, preferred to Jamal Lewis at left wing-back, delivered left-footed from the right.
Minutes later Saville and McCann smartly teed up a shot for Conor Washington, who took a touch before firing low - but goalkeeper Ernestas Setkus plunged to his right to parry it away.
There was a scare when Justas Lasickas won the ball off Paddy McNair, played a one-two, and swung over a dangerous cross, but Arvydas Novikovas headed wide beyond the back post.
Suitably warned, the men in green took the lead in the 17th minute, when McNair's inswinging corner from the left was turned into his own net off the back of centre half Satkus's head.
Within a minute NI thought they had doubled their lead, when Saville cut the ball back from the left and McCann coolly guided his shot inside the far post, but the 'goal' was ruled out for offside against Magennis, who had strayed towards the sightline of the goalkeeper.
A touch of fortune almost led to an equaliser when the ball broke through for Lasickas, but Bailey Peacock-Farrell stood up well and blocked the poked shot with his right foot.
The hosts were still too open at the back at times, relying on first skipper Steven Davis then Dallas to track back and make good tackles to stop promising Lithuanian attacks.
However, they had the ball in the net at the other end again five minutes before the break - only for Magennis to once more be harshly penalised for an infringement. The forward did nudge Ovidijus Verbickas in the back before heading in a Paddy McNair corner, but the level of contact was not much.
Lithuania rode their luck again when Washington crossed to his strike partner but Magennis saw his first-time shot kept out by Setkus, then, when he turned the loose ball across the six-yard box it struck Satkus but didn't go in, and was cleared away.
Even in added time an opportunity to double the lead came, created by dancing feet from McNair, but Saville clipped his cross wide.
A spicy double nutmeg move up the left allowed Washington room to set up the first opening of the second half, but McCann could not quite connect, then had his follow-up blocked.
Baraclough made the first changes, a double substitution in the 70th minute, sending on Lewis and Corry Evans for Ferguson and Saville.
Yet it took young Taylor to liven matters up, embarking on a surging run within a minute of coming on, earning a corner from which Washington headed narrowly wide.
The younger Evans also began to make things happen but the second goal still wouldn't come and captain Davis had to do good defensive work in the closing stages.
As the clock ticked into the nervous nineties home heart rates were raised when a long ball almost fell into the path of substitute Donatas Kazlauskas but Craig Cathcart cleared for a corner and NI saw out a deserved victory.
Northern Ireland: Peacock-Farrell; McNair, J Evans, Cathcart; Dallas, McCann, Davis (capt.), Saville (C Evans, 70), Ferguson (Lewis, 70); Magennis (Taylor, 78), Washington (Jones, 87).
Lithuania: Setkus; Vaitkunas, Satkus, Dapkus (Gaspuitus, 75), Barauskas; Megalaitis (Armanavicius, 86), Cernych; Lasickas, Verbickas (Simkus, 86) , Novikovas; Laukzemis (Kazlauskas, 80).
Referee: Istavan Vad (Hungary).
Attendance: 14,336
