Sunderland's Trai Hume played the full 90 minutes as Northern Ireland suffered a hugely damaging home defeat in their bid to qualify for the 2024 European Championships. Michael O'Neill's side conceded the only goal of the game in the 88th minute as Abat Aimbetov scored to give the 6-1 outsiders victory at Windsor Park.
Hume, who earlier this month extended his contract with the Black Cats, was making his second start for his country, having also begun Friday's 1-0 defeat in Denmark. Those back-to-back defeats in the current round of international fixtures leave Northern Ireland in all kinds of trouble as they look to secure qualification from Group H.
They have won just one of their four games so far, defeating minnows San Marino 2-0 in March. Northern Ireland are next-to-bottom of their group, above only San Marino who have yet to pick up a point or even score a goal in their four games.
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O'Neill's team will continue its Euro 2024 qualification campaign in September when they face back-to-back away games in Slovenia and Kazakhstan. Former Sunderland men Paddy McNair, who is now at Middlesbrough, and ex-loanee Jonny Evans, currently at Leicester City, also started last night's game.
