Northern Ireland slumped to their third defeat of a poor Nations League campaign as they were beaten 3-1 by Greece in Athens, only spared a relegation play-off as Kosovo thrashed Cyprus 5-1.
Shayne Lavery quickly cancelled out Dimitrios Pelkas’ 14th-minute goal, but a scrappy, disjointed performance could muster no answer after Giorgos Masouras restored Greece’s advantage early in the second half, with a fine strike from Petros Mantalos settling it 10 minutes from time.
It was hardly a fitting night for Jonny Evans’ 100th cap, with the joy of Saturday’s late win over Kosovo at Windsor Park dissipated at the Georgios Kamaras Stadium as the 976 travelling fans gathered behind Ian Baraclough’s dugout made their feelings known, with some booing the manager at the final whistle.
