Northern Ireland 0-3 Croatia

Tin Jedvaj challenges Niall McGinn, who captained Northern Ireland on the occasion of his 50th cap

Northern Ireland suffered a first defeat in 11 home games as Mario Mandzukic, Duje Cop and Andrej Kramaric goals gave Croatia a 3-0 friendly win.

Mandzukic poked home a scrappy goal after goalkeeper Alan Mannus pushed out an angled shot into the six-yard box and the home defenders failed to clear.

An experimental home side went further behind when Cop stabbed in from two yards out after being left unmarked.

Kramaric scored with a stunning 25-yard shot into the top corner.

The result ended Northern Ireland's run of six friendly matches unbeaten.

The hosts had made Windsor Park something of a fortress in recent years, winning eight and drawing two of their last 10 fixtures at home, conceding only three goals.

Their last reverse in Belfast was in September 2013, when they lost 4-2 to Portugal in a World Cup qualifier, before work began on their newly reconstructed National Stadium.

O'Neill uses game to experiment

Before the match, manager Michael O'Neill was keen to play down the importance of the game, indicating that it offered an opportunity to give some of the players on the periphery of his squad a chance to impress.

The inclusion of Rochdale midfielder Matthew Lund for his first cap was one of six changes from the starting line-up which brushed aside Azerbaijan 4-0 in Friday's World Cup qualifier, with Ross County forward Liam Boyce being handed a first start.

Aberdeen winger Niall McGinn was made captain for the night as he won his 50th cap but the home side were unable to make any significant impact in their 13th and final game of a memorable year, which included reaching the last 16 of Euro 2016.

Northern Ireland will be keen to put this result behind them quickly as they turn their attention to another World Cup qualifier against Norway on 26 March.

O'Neill's side lie second in Group C, with two wins, one draw and one defeat from their first four matches.

Croatia in control

Croatia, who also made the knockout stages at Euro 2016, were dominant throughout, despite being bereft of a number of key players including Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Vedran Corluka, Danijel Subasic, Mateo Kovacic and Dejan Lovren.

A ninth-minute defence-splitting pass by man-of-the-match Kramaric set up Cop, whose drive across goal ultimately ended with Juventus striker Mandzukic finding the net.

Poor marking allowed Cop the opportunity to extend his side's lead in the 34th minute with his first international goal after Matej Mitrovic had flicked on a corner.

Midway through the second half, ex-Leicester City player Kramaric unleashed a spectacular effort from outside the area past Mannus into the top left-hand corner.

Croatia will host Ukraine in their next World Cup qualifying game on 24 March as they hope to build on their promising start to the campaign. They are top of Group I thanks to three wins and a draw from four.

What they said

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill: "We are disappointed to lose but we knew it was going to be tough.

"We were stretched a bit in terms of personnel because of injuries but it was a chance to play some of the fringe players and for the younger players to show what they can do.

"Tonight's result was not really important - the focus was on winning the Azerbaijan game and we did that.

"I thought the scoreline was a little harsh on us and there were positives to take but it shows that we don't have huge depth in the squad, especially against opposition of this quality.

"This was the first time we arranged a friendly match after a competitive game and it's something that we may not do again."