Paddy McNair has advised his Northern Ireland team-mates to maintain believing they can qualify for Euro 2020 after their hopes took a hit with Monday’s 2-0 home defeat to Germany.
A lively performance at Windsor Park wasn’t enough to stop Michael O’Neill’s side falling their first points of the campaign because Marcel Halstenberg strike and Serge Gnabry’s overdue second proved the
difference.
The effect viewed Germany move top of Group C, amount with Northern Ireland on 12 points from five games.
But the task gets with the Netherlands, for the White and Green Army away up next and a Visit to Frankfurt to come in November.
“Obviously we would have taken this place at the beginning of the campaign,” McNair said. “We’ve got three really tough games to come and now we go to Holland in the next game.
“Then we have them in the home and Germany off, but we aren’t likely to become disheartened.
“We will give all of them a difficult game. There are plenty of positives and we proceed to next month.”
A frustrated O’Neill called the match a”missed opportunity” in the immediate aftermath, provided the possibilities Northern Ireland made, including two openings for Conor Washington, during a powerful start to the evening time.
“It’s really small margins from the game, but I thought we had been amazing from the first halfof” McNair added. “It is definitely a enormous improvement. In the second halfof Stuart [Dallas] took a yard wide which may easily go another side of this post which makes it a different game .”
After McNair tumbled from Toni Kroos, northern Ireland may likewise have had the chance to level from the penalty spot just prior to the hour, but their appeals were waved away by referee Daniel Orsato.
“I haven’t seen the punishment episode again, but I certainly felt a bit of contact,” said McNair. “There was not much contact, but I went down. I didn’t need to maintain a scenario where the ref thought it was a dive and sent me off [to get a second
Booking], however I didn’t want him to believe because I did believe it, there was no contact.
“It wasn’t much, but I understand why the referee did not give it. There was touch, though, I’ve no doubt about that. Maybe VAR could have cleared up that.”
Dallas fired broad afterwards, before issues settled in stoppage time but this was the last chance for the hosts.
“It’s a great sign coming out of a game thinking we certainly have to have taken something out of it,” McNair added. “It’s definitely our very best performance against them in recent encounters, but you can’t help but feel it was a missed chance.
“But we are still joint best of the bunch. I know we have three difficult games coming up, but we must stay optimistic considering the position we have put ourselves in.”
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