Northern Ireland’s Isaac Price in action with Slovakia’s Patrik Hrosovsky(right) in UEFA Qualifiers on October 10, 2025. — Reuters
BELFAST: Northern Ireland boosted their FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification hopes with a 2-0 win over Slovakia, moving into second place in Group A of the Europe qualifiers here at the Windsor Park on Friday.
Slovakia entered the fixture oozing with confidence, courtesy of their 2-0 victory over Germany, followed by a 1-0 over Luxembourg, clinching the top spot in the standings.
Slovakia fell behind to an own goal in the 18th minute, which ultimately provided Ireland a chance to dominate from the start.
The home team secured the lead when Patrik Hrosovsky turned a low cross from Ethan Galbraith in the box into his own net.
At the Windsor Park, Slovakia never seemed to have a chance to rally, and Trai Hume’s first international goal nine minutes from the stoppage time sealed the victory.
Hume was there to unleash a spectacular side-footed volley to the net after the visitor’s keeper punched the ball out of his area, setting up a tantalising match against Germany in Belfast on Monday.
Reflecting on his first goal, Hume expressed satisfaction with his performance, calling it a great night for his team, citing earning three points as the most important thing.
“The keeper has come to clear it, and I just had to guide it towards the goal and thankfully I did,” Hume said.
“It was a great night, good performance and the most important thing is the three points. I think we deserved it.”
It is pertinent to mention that Germany’s 4-0 win over Luxembourg propelled them to the top of Group A standings with six points due to a superior goal difference to Northern Ireland and Slovakia, placed second and third, respectively.
The runners-up move on to the playoffs, while the group winners automatically qualify.