Szoboszlai kept quiet as Northern Ireland hold Hungary 0-0; Ballard ruled out
September 29, 2026 13:00
Northern Ireland kept Hungary to a 0-0 draw in Belfast on Monday, their goalkeeper Pierce Charles barely called into action as Hungary's first shot on target arrived in the 90th minute. The result completed back-to-back clean sheets for Michael O'Neill's side in the current Nations League window.
KEY CONTEXT
Having returned to League B after successive campaigns in League C, Northern Ireland's defensive form has stood out: Hungary were the eighth visiting team in the last 10 fixtures at Windsor Park to be kept scoreless, with only Germany and Switzerland bucking that trend. The team's expected goals (xG) on the night was 0.55, their lowest in a Nations League match since September 2022.
PLAYERS AND SELECTION
Sunderland defender Daniel Ballard, who suffered a hamstring injury in the trip to Tbilisi, has been ruled out for the remainder of the international window. Ruairi McConville replaced him in a back three alongside Ciaron Brown and Tom Atcheson. O'Neill praised Brown, saying: "Ciaron has been terrific now for quite some time, really, to be honest... He's playing his club football at the moment in League One, he's a better player than that."
The result followed last week's win in Tbilisi, where Pierce Charles made a player-of-the-match display that included saving a penalty from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as Northern Ireland beat Georgia 1-0.
MANAGER AND COMMENTARY
O'Neill emphasised the positives after the match: "There's a lot for us to be positive about," and added: "It's two clean sheets in the group, eight clean sheets out of ten games [in Belfast]. I am proud of how they played tonight, they couldn't have given us any more." Former striker David Healy highlighted the side's lack of threat from set-pieces and noted Ballard's absence was felt in the opposing box.