Bolton Wanderers striker Dion Charles scored in either half as Nothern Ireland breezed past San Marino to win their Group H opener in Euro 2024 qualifying.
Charles scored his first two international goals on Thursday night. He prodded the ball into the net in the 24th minute and then headed home a second shortly into the second half.
His goals were not a surprise given he has scored 18 times in 42 appearances for Bolton this season. Northern Ireland will hope that this is just the beginning.
O’Neill, who returned in December to the job he left in 2020, had to wait until the 10th match of his first reign for a victory but there was no such delay against a side last in the FIFA rankings and yet to win a competitive international, this being their 167th attempt.
This was not the resounding win so many sides – Northern Ireland included – have enjoyed in Serravalle over the years, but O’Neill’s only concern was getting three points to kick-start the campaign and to that end, this was a case of job done before Sunday’s home match against Finland.
It took only three minutes for the 1,000 travelling fans to call for a wave from the man who led them to Euro 2016 and the 53-year-old willingly obliged.
Northern Ireland started slowly, enjoying plenty of the ball but offering little penetration. O’Neill went with a 3-5-2 system rather than his preferred 4-3-3, a decision perhaps enforced given the lengthy injury list which had denied him the services of so many veterans of his previous reign.
Charles’ Bolton team-mate Conor Bradley was the brightest spark but too many of the early moves broke down before Northern Ireland could get the ball into the box as San Marino, who included 40-year-old debutant Roberto Di Maio in defence after he gained citizenship in January, stood up well early on.
The first test for home goalkeeper Elia Benedettini came in the 14th minute when he clawed aside a header from Paddy McNair as the Middlesbrough man met George Saville’s cross.
The deadlock was broken when Northern Ireland used a quick free-kick to shift the ball right and Conor Washington sent in a low cross for his strike partner to turn in at the far post.
Saville should have done better when Bradley broke clear of his man to race into space down the right, but he turned the cross over the bar, while Benedetti did well to turn a powerful Bradley strike around the post just before the break.
Northern Ireland would have welcomed a second to settle the game…
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