Euro 2020: Five things we noticed as NI suffer play-off defeat
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It wasn't to be for Northern Ireland against Slovakia
"There's never a dull moment watching Northern Ireland..."
Never has a truer word been spoken by former Northern Ireland defender John O'Neill.
It looked over then suddenly Ian Baraclough's men were back in it. Kyle Lafferty hits the post and then it was heartbreak once more.
Here are five takeaways as Northern Ireland fell just short of back-to-back European Championship finals.
Gifting goals
In Baraclough's first five games as boss, Northern Ireland conceded first every time. That was a trend which continued on Thursday.
If you are going to concede first in a match of this magnitude then you want to make the opposition work for it. However, a mix-up between George Saville and Jonny Evans handed Juraj Kucka - Slovakia's most impressive player - an early Christmas present.
After working hard to get back into the game, the manner of the decisive goal was also disappointing, with the ball bouncing off the backside of Evans before Bailey Peacock-Farrell was beaten at his near post.
Northern Ireland have managed just one clean sheet in their past 11 matches, and that was at home to the Netherlands last autumn.
Even in defeat, the spirit and togetherness of the Northern Ireland squad was clear to see
Slovakia sloppiness
Despite their goal advantage, the visitors looked extremely shaky at the back. You could tell Milan Skriniar hadn't played a lot of football recently and left back Tomas Hubocan looked vulnerable.
Conor Washington and Niall McGinn ran their socks off and harried the visitors, who did not look comfortable in possession. That's when NI's best chances came - most notably for the aforementioned duo.
But when they were really under pressure, Slovakia showed some real grit with their defence - especially when Patrik Hrsovsky threw himself in the way of Paddy McNair's goalbound shot.
Hearts were in mouths when Evans had a great chance in the final moments, but he just couldn't get enough power on his header to trouble Marek Rodak - and that was that.
Loud and proud
"Bring the noise" was the call to arms before the game and the Green and White Army certainly delivered. Whether you were at Windsor Park, listening on radio or watching on TV, the GAWA were loud and clear, underlining the significance of an actual crowd in the current climate.
The vocal chorus briefly halted after Slovakia's opener - understandably so - but they were soon back to running through the usual repertoire of songs and backing Baraclough's boys.
With hope seemingly running out, the GAWA exploded into life when Skriniar turned the ball into his own net. 1,060? It almost felt like it was a packed house in south Belfast.
The goal undoubtedly gave both team and supporters a lift and although the result didn't go NI's way, at full-time the players recognised the effort put in by those in attendance at the national stadium.
Stuart Dallas was one of a number of players to take a knock against Slovakia
A high body count
On his 50th cap, winger Stuart Dallas showed everyone exactly what Northern Ireland fans love about the Leeds United man.
He made a crucial interception when Slovakia looked through on goal and his determination to soldier on after a hefty collision to his arm was admirable.
However, the number of injuries picked up in the defeat is an area of concern. Paddy McNair and Craig Cathcart both limped off after giving it their all, while Steven Davis and Evans were both visibly struggling towards the end of extra time.
There will be a few sore bodies on Friday after the bruising defeat and Baraclough will be counting his numbers before Sunday's Nations League match in Austria.
What next for Baraclough?
This is a tough one to answer. In the immediate future, Baraclough has to find a way to pick his side back up again for the two looming Nations League fixtures.
Is it the end of an era? Many thought so after the World Cup play-off defeat by Switzerland, yet Northern Ireland challenged again.
The successful core of the Northern Ireland squad are now in their 30s - Lafferty, Niall McGinn, Davis, Evans, Cathcart and you can throw the injured Corry Evans in there too - so it will be interesting to see if former under-21s manager Baraclough decides to give youth a chance heading into the Austria and Romania games.
He has a tough job on his hands but with the next qualifying campaign just around the corner, Northern Ireland have a chance to come back fighting - something they always do.
The spirit of this side is something else.
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