Slovenia 0 Northern Ireland 1:Northern Ireland got off to a stunning start in their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign by defeating World Cup finalists Slovenia 1-0 in Maribor.
Manchester United midfielder Corry Evans was the unlikely matchwinner, stepping off the bench to score in the 70th minute.
He marked his first competitive outing by getting on the end of a glorious cross from Craig Cathcart on his debut to sweep the ball home at the far post.
“I haven’t scored for Northern Ireland since I was a schoolboy, so to get on the scoresheet in such an important match is fantastic," the Manchester United midfielder said afterwards.
“We’ve had our criticism over our away from and for not being able to score goals, so to win away with a clean sheet is great.”
The next game is against group favourites Italy and Evans added on Sky Sports: “We’ll give it our best at Windsor Park and see what happens.”
